women in leadership Archives

By Debbie Gregory.

Because women are 23% better at recruiting other women, the Army will increase the number of female recruiters to better target women. The goal is to add 1 percent each year for the next three years in order to get at least one woman at each of the Army’s more than 780 larger recruiting centers across the country.

And soon, local Army recruiting offices will have a set of physical tests, including running, jumping, lifting a weight and throwing a heavy ball, in order to determine what military jobs a recruit is physically capable of performing.

The tests will help the Pentagon set physical standards for every job that both men and women will have to meet. In December, Defense Secretary Ash Carter ordered all military services allow women to compete for all combat jobs. But he and other military leaders have been adamant that the physical standards for the jobs will not be lowered in order to allow more women to qualify.

And as women move into combat roles, Army commanders want to have women in leadership positions, such as drill sergeants and platoon sergeants, in order to lead by example and serve as mentors

The new physical tests will judge core strength and endurance. Recruits still will have to take the routine aptitude tests and physical evaluations.

And while the tests coincide with the campaign to recruit more women, military officials say that setting specific physical standards for all jobs may prevent some men from getting into certain infantry or armor posts if they don’t qualify.

The tests stem from a three year study done by the Army and are made up of four tasks: a standing long jump; an interval, aerobic run; a dead lift of weights; and a seated power throw of a weighted ball. It is expected that the cost to get all the testing equipment to the Army’s 1,300 recruiting locations will run approximately about $3 million.

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By Debbie Gregory.

We like to think of the U.S. as the land of opportunity. And along with opportunity, there are also the implications of equality- meaning that there are opportunities for everyone. But the truth of the matter is that there are still very few ethnic minority and female leaders in industry, commerce and government.

To drive home this point, take a look at the United States Senate. There are only 20 women (out of 100) currently serving as senators. There have only been a total of 44 female senators since the formation of the Senate in 1789.

Also, only 5.2% of current Fortune 500 CEOs are female. Less than 1% of Fortune 500 CEOs are African American. These are statistics to think about when words such as diversity, equality and opportunity are discussed.

Studies have shown that a diverse group makes better decisions. So it would only make sense to train and groom a more diverse group of leaders for the future. One of the best vehicles to generate leaders is the military.

Veterans go on to be leaders in their communities after they leave the military. Whether they hold a public office, take on a profession that puts them in that role, or mentor others of their own accord, Veterans take on leadership roles seamlessly, with the values and confidence they gained through military service.

The military is currently in the process of transitioning women into combat roles. For the initial phases of the transition, the different branches of the military have begun attempting to implement female officers and senior enlisted into units or jobs that previously excluded women. This included the introduction of female officers onboard Navy submarines, and allowing female officers to apply for Army Ranger School and Marine Corps Infantry Officer Course. Military leadership feels that putting women in leadership roles will ease the transition for junior enlisted females at a later time.

It is imperative that the U.S. military becomes the flag bearer of diversity, leading our nation down the path towards equality. It should start by allowing more females and minority members into different jobs and leadership roles. This could ignite changes in other realms of the nation, including businesses, and within the government.

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