Preface: the military veteran and re-entering the civilian world -- Veteran lesson 1: Veterans building businesses, employees, and themselves for commercial success -- Veteran lesson 2: Military ethics and values form the foundation for business success -- Veteran lesson 3: Maintain a personal improvement plan -- Veteran lesson 4: Build networks of experts -- Veteran lesson 5: Overcome common mistakes veterans make in the workplace -- Veteran lesson 6: Create a periodic corporate intelligence report -- Veteran lesson 7: Understand your company's mission statement -- Veteran lesson 8: Use the war game process -- Veteran lesson 9: Use the military synchronization matrix -- Veteran lesson 10: Employ risk mitigation -- Veteran lesson 11: Employ standard operating procedures (SOPs) -- Veteran lesson 12: Back-up plans to ensure success -- Veteran lesson 13: Create and lead powerful teams -- Veteran lesson 14: Use military crisis-management techniques -- Veteran lesson 15: Prepare an exit strategy -- Veteran lesson 16: Use the military after-action review -- Veteran lesson 17: Employ counseling sessions -- Veteran lesson 18: Position yourself for promotion -- Veteran lesson 19: Use mentoring for career improvement -- Veteran lesson 20: Adapt military tools to commercial business applications -- Summary: the 20 lessons that bring the greatest value to your company and career.