Posted on Mar 16, 2025
Save Infantry Leaders From Bias by Removing Ranger Tabs - Mountain Tactical Institute
4.57K
6
6
3
3
0
Your thoughts?
I understand the general idea, rank people on their current capabilities and character; candy on their uniform doesn't inherently prove either. And it's not totally unheard of. There was a time when we didn't have all this stuff front and center on our jackets.
However, our badges are usually earned and a reasonable indicator that we've already learned two of the most important lessons in military leadership: 1) Do hard things, 2) Don't quit.
Lensing says, "This bias is a shortcut," when referring to looking for tabs. The deeper issue to me is over-emphasizing the tab, not the tab itself. We need leaders who are mature enough to identify potential apart from badges and tabs. The accomplishment is what matters. As an outsider, I expect rangers to lead the way in their daily performance, whether or not I can see their tab. However, "hindsight bias," as Lensing mentions it, sounds more like plain foolishness, not proper evaluation.
This article seems to recommend reducing the importance of past performance when being measured up against peers. For our profession, this is absurd. We need to build skills of identifying the strengths and weaknesses of an entire person, not the practice of dismissing their past to hyper focus on the present. People are more than their past achievements, but they are not less than.
I think Lensing understands this, he says we need to "provide more methods to assess leadership ability," and should "assess trends," aiming for "a more comprehensive view." He also says we need to rely less on awards and credentials.
Overall, Lensing is spot on and says the same things that have always come out of the Ranger school house: i.e., the easy part is getting tab and the hard part is living up to it. In other words, in every position you're in, you work to earn the respect and confidence of others. It should never be assumed. That's no reason to hide the tab though, that just avoids the problem.
I understand the general idea, rank people on their current capabilities and character; candy on their uniform doesn't inherently prove either. And it's not totally unheard of. There was a time when we didn't have all this stuff front and center on our jackets.
However, our badges are usually earned and a reasonable indicator that we've already learned two of the most important lessons in military leadership: 1) Do hard things, 2) Don't quit.
Lensing says, "This bias is a shortcut," when referring to looking for tabs. The deeper issue to me is over-emphasizing the tab, not the tab itself. We need leaders who are mature enough to identify potential apart from badges and tabs. The accomplishment is what matters. As an outsider, I expect rangers to lead the way in their daily performance, whether or not I can see their tab. However, "hindsight bias," as Lensing mentions it, sounds more like plain foolishness, not proper evaluation.
This article seems to recommend reducing the importance of past performance when being measured up against peers. For our profession, this is absurd. We need to build skills of identifying the strengths and weaknesses of an entire person, not the practice of dismissing their past to hyper focus on the present. People are more than their past achievements, but they are not less than.
I think Lensing understands this, he says we need to "provide more methods to assess leadership ability," and should "assess trends," aiming for "a more comprehensive view." He also says we need to rely less on awards and credentials.
Overall, Lensing is spot on and says the same things that have always come out of the Ranger school house: i.e., the easy part is getting tab and the hard part is living up to it. In other words, in every position you're in, you work to earn the respect and confidence of others. It should never be assumed. That's no reason to hide the tab though, that just avoids the problem.
Save Infantry Leaders From Bias by Removing Ranger Tabs - Mountain Tactical Institute
Posted from mtntactical.com
Ranger
Leadership
Promotions
Promotion Board
Equality
Edited 9 mo ago
Posted 9 mo ago
Responses: 2
3
3
0
I disagree with with the author's first two proposals.
Having had to deal with brand new IN 2LTs in their first and follow-on assignments for 20 years, I am confident that I and every commander I worked with were able to assess the presence or absence of tabs, as well as the comments on their BOLC 1059s, without bias.
Having had to deal with brand new IN 2LTs in their first and follow-on assignments for 20 years, I am confident that I and every commander I worked with were able to assess the presence or absence of tabs, as well as the comments on their BOLC 1059s, without bias.
(3)
(0)
MAJ Byron Oyler
The LT in the story going off and obtaining his tab tells me he is dedicated to the infantry. I am not impressed with nurse corps officers that obtained it after nursing school because it tells me being hoah is more important than being a good RN. Having it on the uniform tells me a good deal about both individuals and like you, I disagree with both proposals. Looking at past evals gives an idea where they were and where they are headed. They can show improvement or regression. You may not agree with my opinion of nurses getting their tabs and being all hoah and the army certainly does not agree with me. The Army hired me and sent me to the critical care course to take care of out sickest and most injured soldiers and that is what I needed to be good at.
(0)
(0)
SGM Jeff Mccloud
MAJ Byron Oyler - I went through Ranger School with a Surgeon.
He was between BOLC and his first assignment in 75th.
I did not believe he felt it more important than being a good Surgeon, but rather, he felt it was important to do anything he did in life as well as possible.
And he had decided before med school that he wanted to do as well as possible every day through college, med school, 75th and SF on the way to becoming a JMAU surgeon.
He retired as a COL, DCS USASOC Surgeon in 2022, having done everything he planned to.
He was between BOLC and his first assignment in 75th.
I did not believe he felt it more important than being a good Surgeon, but rather, he felt it was important to do anything he did in life as well as possible.
And he had decided before med school that he wanted to do as well as possible every day through college, med school, 75th and SF on the way to becoming a JMAU surgeon.
He retired as a COL, DCS USASOC Surgeon in 2022, having done everything he planned to.
(0)
(0)
1LT (Join to see)
If your experience is true for most command teams, then I think we can infer a good point, i.e. the command team's judgement is not the same as the overall cllimate of a battalion.
Junior leaders may confuse the overall climate around them, specifically towards having a tab or a badge, as directly equal to how the command team judges potential. For example, a typical infantry battalion values officers completing ranger school, and generally considers those officers without as less capable. However, that general attitude is dealt with by the command team, to your point, and is capable of assesing appropriately nonetheless, of handling the value of Ranger school in balance with other measures of performance. In this sense, the "bias" we are referring to is more of a public concern.
But, wouldn't it still be an issue for the command team to address, especially the commander? If the commander truly judges potential hollistically, then he or she is also responsible for infusing that judgement and their intent into the climate of their battalion.
Junior leaders may confuse the overall climate around them, specifically towards having a tab or a badge, as directly equal to how the command team judges potential. For example, a typical infantry battalion values officers completing ranger school, and generally considers those officers without as less capable. However, that general attitude is dealt with by the command team, to your point, and is capable of assesing appropriately nonetheless, of handling the value of Ranger school in balance with other measures of performance. In this sense, the "bias" we are referring to is more of a public concern.
But, wouldn't it still be an issue for the command team to address, especially the commander? If the commander truly judges potential hollistically, then he or she is also responsible for infusing that judgement and their intent into the climate of their battalion.
(0)
(0)
SGM Jeff Mccloud
1LT (Join to see) - I cannot attest that my anecdotal experience aggregates to the whole Army, but based on the following observation, I can believe that the bias about tabs is not a problem;
Three of our last five CSAs made it to the top Army job without a tab.
If there is a bias problem, it's far less than universal.
Three of our last five CSAs made it to the top Army job without a tab.
If there is a bias problem, it's far less than universal.
(0)
(0)
Read This Next
Continue with Facebook 
Continue with Google