“Here’s a real statistic for you: 200,000 people leave the military every year, and of those, greater than 50 percent quit their first job or are fired from their first job within two years of leaving the military,” Toti said. “Most transitioning veterans struggle, and it increases their stress level. And for those with PTSD, failure to transition just adds to that.”

On the other side of the equation are companies that don’t understand the veteran mindset and don’t know how to help their veterans succeed, and this disconnect costs companies millions of dollars in lost recruiting costs and compensation.

In an effort to “reboot things for transitioning veterans,” Toti started writing down lessons he had learned in his post-military career. The result is his book, From CO to CEO: A Practical Guide for Transitioning from Military to Industry Leadership.

“For industry leaders, reading this book will be like listening to one veteran who has succeeded in industry teach other veterans who are trying to learn how to be successful,” Toti said.

From CO to CEO can help recruiters, hiring managers and veterans understand: 

·         Why veterans decide to leave the service. 

·         Why some veterans fail to succeed in their civilian careers. 

·         Which military skills are (and are not) directly translatable to industry.

·         How to assist veterans in understanding their new, corporate missions. 

·         How companies can help ameliorate skill gaps for their new veteran employees.

·         Behavioral changes that veterans need to exemplify. 

·         And much more.

“The book is intended to correct the defects the military injects into its transitioning veterans before they leave service; it’s intended to help companies head off problems in assimilating new veteran employees; and it’s intended to serve as a guide for transitioning veterans to help them understand the business environment and learn new skills necessary for them to succeed,” Toti added.