Army Leadership Qualities

CHAPTER 2
REVIEW OF LITERATURE
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Leadership is intangible , hard to measure and difficult to describe. The qualities would seem to stem from many factors. They are not easily taught or easily learned. But leaders can be and are made. The average good man in our service is and must be considered a potential leader.”
---General C B Cates , Commandant of Marine Corps.
The purpose of maintaining a military force by a country is that it should always be ready to go to war and win. This capability, to a large extent depends on the quality and morale of leaders at all levels of the service. About three centuries ago, Napoleon had said, better to be an army of stags led by a lion, than an army of lions led by a stag. Despite being three centuries

These traits or qualities have more or less remained constant over ages and eons. The Indian Army leadership qualities are listed below. (a) Bearing. This denotes physical appearance, dress sense and mannerism. As a leader one must exhibit competence, self-confidence, restraint and dignity. Being the first impression, it has a lot of impact on people around. It leaves a lasting impression in the minds of soldiers and other officers. (b) Courage. It is a mental quality that recognises danger and enables a leader to accept responsibility and act rightly in a situation of threat in the most calm and firm manner. Courage is both physical as well as moral. Physical courage is about facing physical threat to own self, and moral courage, the stronger of the two, relates to standing up for the difficult correct option instead of the easier wrong one irrespective of grave consequences or widespread disapproval, if

The ability to see something from another person’s point of view, to identify with and understand other person’s feelings and emotions, makes the Army leader to understand the soldiers better. Leaders lead their Soldiers by imparting them the guidance, equipment, and all the necessary logistics to keep them alive in war zone and achieve the objectives. They also understand the physical stress and strain in the war zone and adapt suitable measures to maintain good morale and fitness of soldiers for mission effectiveness. The requirement for leader empathy extends beyond civilians, Soldiers, and their families. Providing the local population within an area of operations with the necessities of life often turns an initially hostile disposition into one of cooperation. (h) Initiative. Initiative is the willingness to act or offer assistance in the absence of the same being asked for to achieve beyond organisational goals. (i) Integrity. This means being truthful to oneself, upright and a strong character. The absence of this trait or quality can be very dangerous and cause serious problems from the people under