Ho Chi Minh's tolerant and generous leadership style

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There are few leaders in the world who receive as much love and praise as President Ho Chi Minh. Ho Chi Minh is loved and praised not only for his ideology and morality, but also for his style, including his very special leadership style.

Polish people warmly welcomed President Ho Chi Minh and the delegation of the Government of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam, July 1957.

Ho Chi Minh's leadership style not only evokes strong, positive emotions in those who come into contact with him and learn about him, but also suggests a valuable reference model of a political leader in the modern world and in the future; not only suggesting to political science researchers, but also to political leaders in reality.
In Ho Chi Minh's leadership style, there is a distinctive and unique feature, which is tolerance and generosity. Talking about leadership is talking about the relationship between the leader and the led, in which the leader's role is to guide the led. The leadership relationship does not exclude hard power, but is mainly based on soft power, on the power of the leader's persuasion and the voluntary spirit of the led. Therefore, tolerance and generosity are needed to look everywhere, see everything, not leave anyone out, and maximize the led; to accept differences, to educate, nurture, and support those who are still weak, or even those who have gone astray; to be fair and objective in using and promoting many types of talented people; to prevent and eliminate diseases that can ruin the work of cadres; etc., thereby developing both the quantity and quality of the led, promoting the successful revolutionary cause. Such scientific, revolutionary and humane tolerance and generosity also creates, consolidates and enhances the attractiveness and influence of a leader, and therefore is truly a core value in leadership culture, a secret to success in leadership.
The tolerant and magnanimous style of leader Ho Chi Minh is the crystallization of the quintessence of Eastern and Western political thought and culture, ethnicity and humanity, tradition and modernity; it is a reflection of the revolutionary cause of the Vietnamese people, which is great, just, open, and civilized under the leadership of Ho Chi Minh and the Communist Party of Vietnam; and especially, it is the embodiment of the soul, spirit, and noble personality of leader Ho Chi Minh - a Great Man, Great Will, and Great Courage.
 

Image of President Ho receiving Indian Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru in Hanoi, October 17, 1954. Jawaharlal Nehru, a world-class political leader, once wrote about Ho Chi Minh with respect: “President Ho Chi Minh is a very great figure of the world in the past 50 years of history: a gentle, friendly, lovable, unpretentious, modest person, a man of the masses, an honest person”.

In practice, the tolerant and generous style of leader Ho Chi Minh has become a source of power to gather and transform, helping him and the Communist Party of Vietnam led by him to gather and strongly promote human resources and cultural resources, contributing significantly to the great victories of the Vietnamese revolution. This is truly an extremely valuable resource that needs to continue to be deeply researched and exploited, especially for the team of leaders.

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Ho Chi Minh was a man of unity between knowledge and action, between words and deeds, between ideology, morality and style. This is also clearly seen when studying Ho Chi Minh's tolerant and generous leadership style.
On the ideological level, Ho Chi Minh always pointed out that tolerance and generosity are qualities of revolutionaries, especially of revolutionary leaders. His viewpoint is consistent and persistent in all different revolutionary situations. Depending on the circumstances, objects, and nuances of content, Ho Chi Minh used many different words to refer to this style: tolerance, leniency, tolerance, magnanimity...
Right in the lectures at the Vietnam Revolutionary Youth Association in 1925, later published in the book The Revolutionary Path (1927), when talking about the qualifications of a revolutionary, Ho Chi Minh clearly stated: "Forgive each person."[1]. Forgiveness here includes: (1) tolerance, that is, being generous and in harmony with everyone, and (2) forgiveness, that is, being generous in forgiving people. This concept was repeated by Ho Chi Minh in the article The Exemplary Revolutionary (September 18, 1926): “The exemplary revolutionary must be modest, tolerant, forgiving…”[2]In 1957, in a speech at the intermediate and advanced training classes of the Ministry of National Defense and intermediate classes of the general departments, he emphasized: "Modesty and generosity are two virtues that every revolutionary must have."[3]. What is special is that, for a leader, Ho Chi Minh further affirmed the need to have the virtue of tolerance. Discussing the way Confucius trained military officers, Ho Chi Minh pointed out: "Respecting the virtuous and good, liking the righteous, tolerant and upright, brave and resourceful, that is a great general."[4].
 

President Ho Chi Minh talks with agricultural heroes and emulation fighters in 1957.

To help understand correctly the virtue of tolerance and generosity, Ho Chi Minh pointed out its opposite, narrow-mindedness - a manifestation of pride and complacency; and many times he used comparisons to highlight the contrast between these two characteristics. For example, in his speech on pride and self-esteem, Ho Chi Minh wrote: “Pride is narrow-mindedness… For example, a cup, because of its narrowness, can only hold very little water; adding a little more water will make it overflow. In contrast, the vast generosity of a tank can still hold any amount of water.”[5]. He concluded: "Like rivers and seas is called the generosity of a revolutionary"[6].
Thus, it can be seen that if style is the inner virtues expressed outwardly in the way of life and behavior, carried out consistently, becoming a prominent, characteristic feature of the subject of action, then for Ho Chi Minh, tolerance and generosity are the style of a revolutionary, including a revolutionary leader.

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President Ho Chi Minh visited and wished a Happy New Year to cadres and students of the Central Mountainous Ethnic School, February 12, 1956

The value of tolerance and generosity is deeply explained by Ho Chi Minh in two aspects:
First, for me, is self-improvement. He pointed out: "Talent, virtue, generosity, and pettiness are not tolerant of other people's opinions and criticisms."[7]. Obviously, those who are unable to listen and accept comments and criticisms, even from subordinates, cannot progress. On the contrary, knowing how to respect and accept differences, seeking common ground and preserving differences, not only demonstrates tolerance and generosity, but also has the ability to continuously cultivate one's morality and personality, thereby becoming more mature.
Second, for people, it is to gather, educate, use and promote cadres, or more broadly, revolutionary forces.
According to Ho Chi Minh, "one must have great generosity to be able to treat cadres impartially and without prejudice, so that cadres will not be abandoned"; "One must have a broad-minded spirit to be able to be close to people one does not like"[8]. Thus, tolerance and generosity are to “not abandon cadres” and to gather a broad force. The higher the leader, the more he needs to have this virtue and style, only then will there be great unity. Only with great unity can the revolution achieve great success, and the future will certainly be glorious. This viewpoint of Ho Chi Minh clearly demonstrates profound humanity and revolutionary character.

Uncle Ho visited a military unit of Military Region 4 (1961)

He also pointed out that with tolerance and generosity, not only can we gather a large and widespread force, but we can also educate and nurture those who are still lacking, thereby constantly improving the quality of the revolutionary force. According to Ho Chi Minh's point of view, "we must be willing to teach, in order to support those who are still lacking, and help them progress."[9]; “Old comrades must help young comrades progress. This requires old comrades to have a generous attitude and guide young comrades. That is also a communist moral standard.”[10].
Tolerance and generosity, according to Ho Chi Minh, are also the basis for using cadres and revolutionary forces. He emphasized: "Tolerance is to know how to use people."[11]. But knowing how to use people, using people skillfully, then talented people will increase day by day, revolutionary forces will become more and more numerous and will be promoted. That is the root of success.
Thus, it can be seen that, if cadre work is the fundamental work of the Party, then tolerance and generosity, according to Ho Chi Minh's point of view, are a basis and prerequisite for successfully carrying out many stages of cadre work, and at the same time, help avoid many harmful diseases for cadre work, for gathering and developing revolutionary forces such as partisanship, jealousy, contempt for the masses, etc. Because of such importance, according to Ho Chi Minh, tolerance and generosity must become the way of looking at the world, life, and people of a revolutionary: "The view of a revolutionary must be broad, the attitude must be modest."[12]. A generous and open-minded way of looking at things to see the great power of the world, of life, of people, from which to look back at oneself, to become humble. Tolerance and generosity, when directed outward like that, have the power to strongly generate good qualities in the subject, when the subject directs that way of looking back at himself. The value to others and to oneself of the virtue and style of tolerance and generosity are closely intertwined.
On the moral and style level, it is clear that Ho Chi Minh not only talked about tolerance and generosity, but he himself always cultivated and practiced that virtue persistently and persistently, thereby forming his style. There are countless examples of Ho Chi Minh's tolerant and generous style, from his perspective to his behavior towards different subjects throughout his revolutionary life. As Jawaharlan Nehru assessed: "President Ho is a person of great tolerance and generosity."[13].
 

Uncle Ho and children

In short, it can be seen that Ho Chi Minh left behind many profound views, of theoretical and practical value, on the virtues, styles of tolerance and generosity, and he himself, throughout his life, always cultivated and practiced these virtues, thereby forming a unique, distinctive tolerant and generous leadership style, of great suggestive value for the present.

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The Communist Party of Vietnam takes Marxism-Leninism and Ho Chi Minh Thought as its ideological foundation and guiding principle for action, and always attaches importance to the work of building a contingent of cadres. In applying Ho Chi Minh Thought, the Party always emphasizes the comprehensive building of ideology, morality, and style for cadres. On May 15, 2016, the Politburo issued Directive No. 05 on "Promoting the study and following of Ho Chi Minh's ideology, morality, and style". Resolution No. 26-NQ/TU, dated May 19, 2018, of the Central Executive Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam on focusing on building a contingent of leaders at all levels, especially at the strategic level, with sufficient qualities, capacity, and prestige, equal to the task, clearly stated that promoting the study of Ho Chi Minh's ideology, morality, and style is one of the main tasks and solutions. Most recently, on May 18, 2021, the Central Party Office issued Official Dispatch No. 731-CV/VPTW to news agencies and newspapers regarding the announcement of the Politburo's Conclusion on continuing to implement Directive No. 05-CT/TW, dated May 15, 2016 of the 12th Politburo "On promoting the study and following of Ho Chi Minh's ideology, morality and lifestyle".
In that context, from studying Ho Chi Minh's tolerant and generous leadership style, we can draw some suggestions as follows:
Firstly, it is necessary to raise the awareness of leaders about the necessity of learning Ho Chi Minh's leadership style, including tolerance and generosity. Ho Chi Minh's leadership style, through practical verification, not only helps to perfect the leader, but is also a secret to successful leadership, a value in modern Vietnamese leadership culture.
Second, style is the external manifestation of ideology and morality. Therefore, building a tolerant and generous leadership style must begin with building the ideology and virtue of tolerance and generosity in leaders. Leaders must have profound ideas about tolerance and generosity, and tolerance and generosity must truly be the virtue of leaders in relationships.

The 3rd Ho Chi Minh Thought Competition "The Path of Light" took place at the University of Social Sciences and Humanities.

Third, the most important core of tolerance and generosity is benevolence. Benevolence is love for people, love for each other as comrades, love of leaders for their subordinates and the people. Cultivating benevolence is creating core values ​​for the tolerant and generous style of leaders.
Fourth, ideology, morality, tolerance and generosity are closely related to the process of self-cultivation and training of leaders as well as to personnel work. Therefore, the building of this ideology, morality and style must be carried out with specific plans, with high determination, closely linked to inspection and evaluation work from the organization, soldiers and people, in which the voluntary efforts of leaders and commanders are very important.

In short, Ho Chi Minh's tolerant and generous leadership style is an extremely valuable resource. In-depth research and application of a synchronous solution system to build a tolerant and generous style in particular, and Ho Chi Minh's leadership style in general for leaders, especially strategic leaders, is a task of profound scientific and practical significance.