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Qualities of a Military Officer

With clarity in our mind regarding the role of the Armed Forces and the officer cadre we must
understand the qualities that are needed in an officer. These qualities, in SSBs’ parlance are called as
Officer Like Qualities (the OLQs). We can be patient for the time being for the list of these qualities.
We must understand the concept of these qualities.
The task of crisis management involves two salient points :—
1. What is to be done to obviate/defuse the crisis ? (Problem Solving Skill)
2. How to do the needful ? (Organising Skill)

There is always How ? between the problem and solutions. Let me exemplify with following

graph Problem

How ? This ‘How’ aspect reveals your problem solving behaviour which
includes, what to do ? How to do ? and why to do ? This is known
as organising and execution stage which further reveals your
Solution leadership skills.

Problem Solving Skill
Ability to produce solutions of various types questions. It is the ability, which involves interplay of
many factors. Intelligence, knowledge, Information, past experience, Application, creativity and
imagination are a few of these factors. Another point to remember here is that the problems that result
into crisis are not academic in nature. They are problems of day-to-day life which may not always be
anticipated or prepared for. Combat situation is the ultimate test of an officer’s problem solving ability.
The element of surprise is a very significant principle of war. Surprise can turn the tables in war.
An officer must learn to surprise the enemy and not get surprised by the move of the enemy. This
necessitates a high degree of creativity.

Lesson 3

Creativity
It has been proved by researches that creativity and intelligence have very peculiar relation. All
intelligent persons need not be creative, but all creative people must have a high degree of
intelligence. Creativity involves novelty; something beyond routine. While intelligence involves
the process of convergent thinking, creativity involves both the divergent and the convergent
thinking. Imagination and application make the core of creative behaviour. People with high
intelligence sense of creativity are not successful in military. There is a common misconception that
Army needs only a mediocre. The fact is just the antithesis of this notion. Military, perhaps need not
only intelligent but creative people. All intelligent persons need not be creative, but all creative
people must have a high degree of intelligence.

Crazy Solutions !
Santa—Oye Banta, imagine you are crossing a big river in a boat, which develops a small hole in the midway.
Water is coming in fast and unless something is done the boat is sure to capsize. Tell me what would you do ?
Banta—Simple yaar! I will make a bigger hole to let water go out of it !
Psychologists explain creativity as the ability to think fast, generate new ideas and deal with the
problems effectively. According to a workable definition, “Creativity is the ability or the capacity of a