Required officer like qualities OLQs for passing SSB interviews

Leadership qualities required in Indian Armed Forces officers

Leadership quality is the essence of an officer in Indian Army, Navy and Air Force. A
successful leader only can guide his group or men when they need proper guidance to save the
countrys pride. A leader should possess special qualities which make him stand high among
all others. Following are essential Officer Like Qualities (OLQs) which SSB interview
board looks in candidates appearing in SSB interviews.
Initiative quality
A leader will always initiate a work and motivate all others to take part in the work. If a leader
will not initiate a work and will ask others to do the work, then others may think that the
leader is misleading them. So a candidate should showcase his initiative quality during the
SSB interview in Picture Perception & Description Test and Group Discussions.
Resourcefulness
A leader should be resourceful. An officer working in Army, Navy or Air Force will come under
such circumstances where he needs to accomplish task assigned to him with the limited
resources available with him. Thus SSB board will look whether a candidate have
resourcefulness quality in himself or not.
Communication skills
A leader should be able to communicate effectively with his followers so that he may convey
his thoughts clearly. If communication skill of a person is not good, he may not become great
leader. Communication skills bring the extra confidence in the leader. Thus, SSB interviewing
officers will definitely look out for communication skills in the candidate who is appearing for
the interview.
Self Confidence
Self confidence is a must quality for an officer. An officer should be confident enough to give
orders to his subordinates and also he should have good confidence by which he can do any
task allotted to him. Thus self confidence quality is the key Officer Like Quality in order to be
recommended by the SSB board.
Decision making quality
An officer should have decision making quality in order to prevent major accidents and
damage. One must be good decision maker in order to become a successful officer in Indian
Army, Navy and Air Force. If you are appearing in SSB interviews, you will come across
various situations where you need to make quick and best decisions.
Persuasiveness quality
Persuasiveness is one of the most important OLQs. An officer should be able to persuade his
subordinates for doing desired work. If an officer fails to persuade his juniors, then he will fail
to accomplish the task assigned to him. Thus, SSB officials will look whether a candidate has
persuasive quality in him or not.
Liveliness quality
A leader should be lively enough to attract the group. If a leader is dull and gloomy, then
people may not trust him. So an officer should have the quality of liveliness in order to
impress his juniors. Thus if you want to clear SSB interviews, then you should be lively
enough to impress the psychology and GTO officers of SSB board.
Human Understanding quality
Understanding other humans is most important officer like quality through which one can
excel in his leadership. Not only a defence officer should have ability of understanding
humans but also every person should have this quality to become successful in their lives. SSB
interviewing board officials will definitely look out for candidates human understanding
quality through various tests.
Delegation of responsibility
Delegation of responsibility is vital officer like quality. A successful leader should delegate his

duties and responsibilities to his subordinates during his leadership. A person cannot do all
tasks by himself. Thus, in order to be successful one must delegate his work to others up to
some extent. Candidates undergoing SSB interviews must show their ability to delegate
responsibility during various tests.
Integrity and loyalty
An Army, Navy or Air Force officer must have integrity and loyalty qualities. An officer should
beloyal to his country in order to protect his country and countrymen. Though one cannot
judge whether a person is loyal to his country or not, trained officers of SSB interview board
will definitely judge whether a candidate is loyal or not through various psychology tests.
Unselfishness
A leader should not be selfish. If an officer becomes selfish, then whole country may fell in
risk of being attacked or intruded. If a person works unselfishly, then he will be much more
fruitful than the selfish ones. In order to be recommended, candidate should show his OLQ of
unselfishness during five day SSB interview.
Basic / fundamental intelligence
Basic or fundamental intelligence is must for each and every person in order to lead a normal
life. Higher degree of intelligence is required for successful leaders. Thus fundamental
intelligence is one of the most important officers like qualities. In SSB interview, all
candidates need to show their intelligence through intelligence tests conducted during five
day SSB interview.
Practical intelligence
One must have good amount of practical intelligence in order to be successful. If a person has
only theoretical knowledge and dont know how to use it in his day to day life, then that
person is less likely to succeed. During SSBs, candidates need to show their practical
intelligence in almost all tests.
Knowledge
Knowledge is very vital when it comes to leadership. If you want to lead a group of people, you
must have good amount of knowledge. When it comes to armed forces officers life, the officer
must have sound knowledge about various things in order to take best decisions in time to
avoid massive loss. Thus, candidates need to show their knowledge in the interview in order to
become an officer.
Physical fitness
Life in Indian Army / Navy / Air Force is very challenging and requires good mental as well as
physical health. Officers serving in armed forces should be fit enough to survive in any
situation during their service. Though physical fitness does not matter much during SSB
interviews, if a candidate is physically strong, it will be an added advantage.