Indian Army Chief General Manoj Pande releases book 'Men of Steel' about leadership in armed forces

New Delhi [India], August 16 : Indian Army Chief General Manoj Pande on Tuesday released a book titled 'Men of Steel' on leadership in the armed forces.
The book 'Men of Steel' is a collection of essays that examine leadership in the armed forces and provides categorical recommendations to sustain the effectiveness and ethos of the military, according to a press statement.
It is comprehensive and offers valuable insights into several aspects of this unique domain.
Spread across 15 chapters, all authors have systematically contextualised the role of military leaders, while covering the nuances of leadership at the strategic, operational and tactical levels in the back-drop of challenges of 21st-century warfare and affords further policy recommendations to make the organisation more dynamic and effective.

As the title suggests, 'Men of Steel' envisions a structured approach to having directive leadership, quality and visionary leaders and subordinates in the armed forces for achieving the highest standards of skills needed to deal with the challenges of modern conflict.
According to the statement, the book brings to the fore high values and perspectives on critical strategic and operational aspects wherein military leaders must play an effective role in shaping the nation's security and destiny. These postulations reinforce the fact that strategic leaders must have a long-term vision of creating an environment of trust and ownership, which would eventually lead to optimum effectiveness and battle worthiness of the armed forces.
The Indian Armed Forces have earned the trust of the country with their professionalism, commitment, sacrifice, and courage - being the custodian of the nation's security and well-being. Now, they need to adopt and adapt to the rapid changes in warfare, technology and the complex nature of threats.
It has been recommended that the leadership training in the academies must be reoriented to sustain our superiority despite these challenges, and to shape the most competent, capable and dedicated leaders that would carry our armed forces into the future, thereby retaining the cutting edge that the organisation demands.
Trust however remains the key to engaging the team and the onus lies entirely on the leadership qualities one possesses. The organisation must learn, grow and encourage innovation with an exploration of opportunities that promote the development of leadership.
These two principles go hand-in-hand. While dealing with some of the biggest strategic and territorial threats, it has been noted that India must focus on robust intelligence gathering by paying much-needed attention to inadequacies in institutional and organisational domains and providing a dynamic approach to developing able leaders.
These actions will facilitate faster decision-making skills while dealing with unprecedented situations. An able leader must build and nourish effective teams to flourish in any organisation. Selecting people not only for their skills but also for their attitude, shared values, learnability and ability to adapt to the organisational culture.
It is important that they collectively build strong fundamentals, therefore leadership must be the "core business". Leadership is a domain which can be learnt or simplified through mentoring by a capable leader.
The book goes on to describe that at a time when the Indian Military is at the cusp of transformation, in a complex and uncertain security environment, due diligence and perception of the long-term consequences of these changes require all organs of the state and military to function as a well-knit team. An effective promotion methodology thus remains at the heart of military effectiveness.
In summation, the book highlights the complexities and challenges in the armed forces and recommends reforms to ensure a future-ready military that is prepared to deal with a fast-paced and rapidly mutating global security environment.
It stressed producing efficient leaders who are steadfast and visionary and measure up to the highest standards and requirements of skills required to deal with the ordeals of modern warfare conditions.
'Men of Steel' is a timely read to understand how the military must prepare future-ready - efficient leaders and draws lessons from the past to provide insights and recommendations to enhance efficacy through a wide array of lessons from experience, anecdotes and cutting-edge technological innovations. The book is a guide for a better understanding of military leadership through compelling essays compiled by the authors.