I had the privilege of spending 4 amazing years in Vietnam and the end of the last century. I have so many warm memories of that incredible period. Vietnam was at the start of its development curve and the energy, excitement and will to progress was electric. Apart from the incredible landscape, the amazing food and fantastic weather, the memories that I most cherish are those of the Vietnamese themselves. They had (and still have) an extremely hard working, fun loving, smart, eager to learn, respectful of elders and specifically teachers and a strong yearn to move forward. It was an absolute delight to live and work there, help businesses explode and especially help Vietnamese professionals progress their careers.

My time there also gave me a great opportunity to learn from its history. The Vietnamese have a fascinating history and according to Wikipedia one of the longest continues history in the world, dating back to 25,000 BC. Due to its strategic location and natural resources it has been ruled on and off by the Chinese, Japanese, French and many would argue the Americans. However no matter who occupied them, their determination for self-rule has motivated them to gain victories over all these world powers.

Living in Vietnam there was no possibility to avoid its most iconic leader and the founding father of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam; Ho Chi Minh. Uncle Ho as he is affectionately called is in good communist tradition everywhere – on bank notes, in schools, on town squares and in every government office in the country. And although many people around the world might have different views and opinions on his legacy and the way he achieved it, the one thing that stands out is he possessed a number of leadership traits that in my view few in this world possess. So, in continuing the Outstanding Leaders of Asia series which started with Kublai Khan, here are the lessons we can learn from Ho Chi Minh.

1. Determination and Sacrifice

The quality that sets Ho Chi Minh apart from many other leaders and in my view puts him at par with Ghandi or even Mandela is his commitment to something that he deeply believed in (in this case making Vietnam an independent nation).

Two American journalist who were most likely the last Western journalists to speak to Ho Chi Minh before his death in 1969 quote him saying:

“We have been fighting for our independence for more than 25 years and of course we cherish peace, but we will never surrender our independence to purchase a peace with the United States or any party.”

And at the end of their conversation they shared that he clenched his right fist and said emotionally,

“You must know of our resolution. Not even your nuclear weapons would force us to surrender after so long and violent a struggle for the independence of our country.”

His iron determination, perseverance and willingness to sacrifice any personal interest are the hallmark of a servant leader.

2. Focusing on the Long Term

My favorite quote of Ho Chi Minh is:

“To reap a return in ten years, plant trees. To reap a return in 100 years, cultivate the people.”

It highlights two beliefs that drove Ho Chi Minh. Firstly his commitment to developing people and societies and secondly his long term focus. Neither of them are present in many modern day leaders. The pressure to perform, for immediate gratification and focus on ‘self’ are driving leaders to shorter and shorter timespans and decisions for immediate return.

3. Humble and Grounded

In an NY time obituary Alden Whitman wrote:

“To the 19 million people north of the 17th parallel and to other millions below it, the small, frail, ivory like figure of Ho, with its long ascetic face, straggly goatee, sunken cheeks and luminous eyes, was that of a patriarch, the George Washington of his nation. Although his name was not attached to public squares, buildings, factories, airports or monuments, his magnetism was undoubted, as was the affection that the average citizen had for him. […] Ho regularly visited villages and towns. Simply clad, he was especially fond of dropping into schools and chatting with the children. Westerners who knew him were convinced that, whatever his guile in larger political matters, there was no pose in his expressions of feeling for the common people.”

Ho Chi Minh was humble and the opposite of pompous leaders of his time. His ability to genuinely be interested and connect with his countrymen helped him in instilling the same determination, zeal and willingness to sacrifice self for the greater good. In the end, that’s what leadership is about: creating followers that share a collective purpose and are willing to do whatever it takes (of course in the right way) to achieve this.

Next week another Asian Leadership Hero: Lee Kwan Yee. Subscribe to the blog to know when I publish it!

Photo Credit: Greg Hocfell