" PSYCHOLOGICAL EDGE THAT CAN MAKE AND BREAK AN OFFICER"

 Good Afternoon to all. How's the Josh. Respected Principal Dr Inderjeet Dagar,
Col Gopal Singh, Lt Cdr ANO Surender Singh and dear NCC Cadets. I am
extremely grateful to the management of College of Vocational Studies, Delhi
University to have been given this opportunity for me to be here today. I am
honoured.
 I have been asked to talk to you today on 'PSYCHOLOGICAL EDGE THAT CAN
MAKE AND BREAK AN OFFICER'. Before dwelling on this topic let us
understand what we want from our life.
 In life all our going through a decision dilemma. Right from childhood to adolescence
and then adulthood we undergo a metamorphosis of influences which shape our
opinion. We have a vacillating mind unable to take a conscious and a correct decision.
Then what is the way forward. How do we decide on our career options. What is a
definition of the right career for us. I feel the Common attributes of successful career
are salary/perks & allowances/promotion or upward mobility. This is an interesting
triangle but is the ground reality.

 Is a career in the Armed Forces an option. Let us all understand what life in uniform is
all about. Let me dwell upon the Bedrock of services- Selfless support to each
other, Comradeship of a lifetime, adventure, Exotic locales, Inimitable experience.
Indian Army is not a POPULAR Army but a moral Army. You don’t chose
professions, professions choose you.

 The Intangibles ascribed to uniform give us, Place of pride (status), Dignity and
respect, Ingredients of power, warrant of precedence- Major-SP-Under Secy-42/
Col- DIG- Spl Secy-33, Maj Gen- DGP-Secy-26. Vice Chancellor is 27.
Salary 60000/- Perks- 40000/-. Package 12 lacs

 You at the NCC are taught all about Unity, Discipline and Leadership. Let us
understand how important leadership is.
Leadership- Chetwode Motto- Safety, honour and welfare of country, troops next,
self last
o No good units/bad units only good leaders or bad leaders
o Professional knowledge
o Decision making- An act of omission is better than an act of commission.
Why decision not taken shows lack of competence. How much money is lost
when a decision is not taken(Rafale)
o Absolute justice and impartiality. Men will accept supersession, if he knows
a more competent person is promoted.
o Moral Courage- Courage to stand up and say your piece- No Yes man
o Physical Courage- Fear is natural phenomenon. Anyone who says he is not
frightened is a liar
o Loyalty- Expect loyalty and give loyalty

 Create your own role models: Maj Sudhir Walia, AC, SM**, Spl forces 9 PARA,
ADC to COAS-survived Kargil War, Died in Kupwara/// Capt Vikram Batra 13 JAK
RIF, 24 years,
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Kargil Pt 5140, 80* 20 June 99, CAOS rang up - Ye Dil Maange Mor-PVC died next
operation while rescuing an officer.

Accept the challenge to change yourself/Surround yourself with people better than
you/Don’t lose faith in yourself/ Have passion and focus-GPS-Direction/Give your best

 Before coming to the Psychological edge let us understand the attributes which make a good
officer of the Armed Forces. Some of the important attributes are :- Intelligence, Self-
Discipline, Confidence, Physical fitness and Respect. The skills required are :- Soft Skills.
Communication Skills. ...Flexibility. ...Teamwork. ...Integrity. ...Planning Skills.
...Problem Solving Skills. ...Technical Skills. A Soldier is not just a person in uniform - a
true Soldier forms specific character traits over the years. These traits in our profession are
called "The Army Values". These values are: Loyalty, Duty, Respect, Selfless Service,
Honour, Integrity, and Personal Courage. Mental toughness forms an essential part of
the character of a soldier.

 Mental toughness is having developed a psychological edge that enables you to be more
consistent, determined, focused, confident and in control under pressure. It can make the
difference between victory and defeat.
 Mental toughness is, as inferred, a state of mind. An average person can develop
this without being part of the military. Mental toughness is resilience, an ability to
stick to something regardless of obstacles, to be goal oriented, to be always trying to
improve, to be dependable and consistent. I feel mental toughness is fuelled by either
a dedication to self or a dedication to a higher cause. Ideally it is both. It gives you a
psychological edge. Can be developed over a period of time.
 Any human can develop mental toughness by setting goals, pushing oneself a little
harder, and working for small victories. Mentally tough people are always willing to
run up steep hills in the rain because they know the prize is at the top of the hill.
Being true to oneself is what keeps people on goals, sticking to a workout regimen,
attempting marathons, triathlons, new hobbies, dropping bad habits, and picking up
new habits. Mentally tough people know what is good for themselves, their future,
and are willing to show discipline, patience, and sacrifice to achieve their objectives.
This is why we often see the most successful people are not the ones with natural
talent, but those that had to overcome obstacles through hard work, focus, and
dedication to achieve their goals.
 The military does a great job in tapping into the motivation and personal goals of an
individual. If you want to be a paratrooper, a part of special forces, or a marcos, you
must volunteer, train for, discipline yourself, and prove that you are mentally tough.
In Commando School, limited sleep, long walks, limited food, and stresses of
leadership are piled on the students to see if they will stand up to the pressure or quit.
NSG and Special Forces training offer similar challenges to see who will quit and
who has "grit". Mentally tough people do not quit.
 The military also taps into the other driver or motivator for mental toughness, a higher
cause. Those that join the military have a love for our institutions, our way of life, the
flag, the constitution, and the values that make this nation great. They are trained to
fight for the continued existence of these values. A deep loyalty and willingness to
sacrifice for the
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mission and the soldiers they fight alongside is stamped on their souls. It is this
mindset and dedication to the cause of freedom that generates the self-sacrifice,
dedication, and heroism that we have seen for generations from our military members.

 “Pain is what stops us, it is what makes us quit. When we guys run day in and day
out through jungles, completely exhausted, we cut our hands ever so slightly. That
stingy feeling, that small amount of pain that takes away the attention from the
fatigue and the tiredness. And we keep running with our focus shifted to that small
cut on our fingers.”

 I am not telling you to hurt yourself in order to forget pain. I am just telling you to
shift your mind from that pain which eventually makes us mentally weak. Focus on
something more better, or dreadful, or something atrocious. Physical fitness can be
built. The mental robustness which is built in NDA, INA, IMA, and especially the
probationary courses teaches you all the same thing.

 “Pain is temporary, quitting is forever.”

 The Psychological edge-

o Key is uniform, Training, isolation and camaraderie
o Training- Physical and mental conditioning
o War gaming and situational controlled ex
o Empowering through delegation and directive style of command- reward risk
takers and not safe players
o Maslow Theory of needs- higher needs self actualisation and sely esteem.
Hygiene and security need taken care off

Always remember the 3Ps

PASSION-PATH-PRIDE

JAI HIND