Army officer highlights ego issues, lack of empathy in his review of women commanding officers

A senior Army officer recently raised significant concerns in his review of women Commanding Officers (COs), highlighting ego issues and lack of empathy, while suggesting that their lack of training for command roles and certain leadership traits was affecting their efficiency.

Lieutenant General Rajeev Puri, the outgoing Corps Commander of the 17 Corps, gave the feedback in a letter to the General Officer Commanding-in-Chief of the Eastern Command.

The letter written on Oct 1, this year provides an analysis of challenges observed in units led by women COs within the 17 Corps over the past year. The letter has sparked debate within the military and among defense analysts about the Army's efforts to integrate women into leadership roles.

Pertinently, following a Supreme Court order in 2023, the Army assigned 108 women officers to command roles outside the medical stream for the first time.

However, sources in the Army were quoted as saying that Lt. Gen Puri's observations were based on a small sample size of seven women COs in the 17 Corps, while the Army has over 100 women COs across its formations.

According to sources, the views might reflect the personal observations of Lt. Gen Puri.

Some of the key observations highlighted by the officer in his letter include:

Interpersonal challenges

He highlighted increased officer management issues in units led by women COs, citing a lack of tact and sensitivity towards the personal needs of officers and subordinates. The report noted an authoritative conflict resolution style rather than mutual resolution.

Frequent complaints

The letter pointed to an "exaggerated tendency to complain" among women COs, where minor grievances were escalated directly to senior commanders instead of being resolved internally. Subordinates linked this behavior to human resource management challenges within such units.

Centralized leadership style

A centralized decision-making approach by women COs reportedly left junior officers and company commanders feeling excluded. The report mentioned that this "my way or highway" approach led to a lack of trust among officers.

Entitlement and ego issues

The report mentioned instances of women COs demanding personal privileges and prioritizing comfort over units' needs. This behaviour, though rare among men Cos was observed disproportionately in units led by women officers, according to the letter.

Lack of empathy

Harsh decision-making and insensitivity towards compassionate requests from troops were also mentioned in the report as recurring issues. Lt. Gen Puri suggested that it might stem from efforts to counter perceived gender stereotypes, leading to a lack of balanced leadership.

Overcompensation in leadership

The analysis mentioned that some women COs adopted overly rigid leadership styles, potentially to prove themselves in a traditionally male-dominated environment.

Celebration of minor achievements

The report also criticized the tendency of women COs to over-celebrate minor accomplishments, suggesting it could skew leadership dynamics and foster a need for constant validation.

Recommendations for improvement

To address these challenges, Puri proposed a gender-neutral policy for postings and selections, and enhanced training of instructors to ensure unbiased officer assessments. Revisiting spouse coordination policies to align them with compassionate grounds, and curtailing symbolic showcasing of women officers in empowerment roles to avoid tokenism were some of the other suggestions mentioned in the report.