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To choose a leader worthy of historical responsibility and the trust of the people

Dr. Nhi Le - Former Deputy Editor-in-Chief of Communist Magazine • October 8, 2025 14:50

Over 95 years of development, especially 80 years of leadership and governance, our Party has accumulated a lot of experience in building and developing leadership staff at all levels.

Over 95 years of development, especially 80 years of leadership and governance, our Party has accumulated a lot of experience in building and developing leadership staff at all levels.

Dr. Nhi Le(Former Deputy Editor-in-Chief of Communist Magazine)

• October 8, 2025

Without a team of cadres with strategic stature equal to the leadership and ruling career, there will be no feasible national development strategy. And, cadre work is one of the key, core and decisive factors for the success or failure of the revolution, closely linked to the fate of the nation, the strength of the Party and the stability of the regime.

To build a leadership system imbued with ethical - intellectual - democratic - innovative values ​​on par with the new era and compatible with the times, it requires a strategic vision, with new thinking, fundamental reform and suitability for current personnel work, meeting new historical responsibilities, especially more meaningful as our Party prepares to move towards the 14th Congress.

If leadership, in its etymological sense, means to master and guide, then a leader is someone who has the ability to orient, influence, inspire and motivate a nation or people to carry out strategic plans and ensure sustainable development.

If the team of strategic leaders is the brain of the nation, then the leader is the symbol of the convergence of national spirit, the will of the Party and the aspirations of the people. Building a team of leaders of equal caliber is to build national spirit, promote national strength and develop national destiny. At the same time, they are the center of gathering the people's faith, morality and intelligence, requiring the team of strategic leaders to not only be "leaders" but also to embody aspirations and act for the destiny of the nation in a worthy manner.

A leader must be worthy of both the crystallization of morality - ideals - actions for the country, imbued with Ho Chi Minh's ideology, and both innovate and absorb the quintessence of humanity, leading the nation to develop in the digital age and globalization.

If political action is leadership, then the leader is not only in the vanguard position but must be the typical crystallization of courage, spirit and belief. They must converge talent and virtue in parallel, in which virtue is the root, talent is the important factor. In particular, they must possess strategic thinking, the ability to discover and create the future, the capacity to lead change, and withstand all "pressure" to work, and this is the supreme criterion. They know how to listen, self-question and constantly learn, act according to reason, not according to personal bias, group interests, locality or narrow-minded society.

Leaders are pioneers in action, not mere speakers. They must commit themselves to the people, act for the people, and be responsible to the people. They not only demonstrate innovative thinking - strong political will - the ability to detect and resolve strategic development conflicts, but also the ability to cope with all "pressure" from above, from the side, from below, from the outside... to maintain their principles, their character and dignity. That means they act with a red heart, a clear mind, and strong political will, human will based on the people's foundation. They must set an example of intellectual stature, morality, profound political ideals, honor, courage and integrity, knowing how to think about things the Party has not said, daring to do what the people need.

Figuratively speaking, a leader or manager is an official who must benefit from the support of hundreds of relatives, and definitely not a short-sighted “the whole family benefits from” approach, and certainly not a corrupt “first descendants, second money, third disciples…” behavior. In particular, do not let family members or relatives interfere and hide behind the cover of politics to seek benefits.

The virtue of a leader cannot be borrowed, faked or concealed; it is forged through every action and sacrifice, silently. If the virtue of a cadre is not higher than the political position they hold, their career will definitely collapse, even disappear. Losing prestige will definitely cause the leader to completely collapse in all personal qualities and cause harm to the entire system.

In general, a leader with the spirit of the new era is not only a person holding an important position but must be the thinking soul, the source of development and the political temperament of the new era; a person who plans the future of Vietnam 2045 and is a pioneer and brave in implementing it. A leader must possess at least 10 qualities:Vision, intelligence, loyalty, integrity, purity, responsibility, trust, integrity, self-respect and kindness.

It is the convergence that creates people's trust in their leaders.

From practice, we can visualize and identify 10 main types of conflicts that are challenging and urgently need to be thoroughly resolved:

One is: The contradiction between political qualities and practical abilities.Many cadres have theoretical knowledge but are weak in practical organization, unable to meet the requirements of innovation and integration. There are cadres who are good at their profession but lack political qualities, are easily corrupted, and take advantage of their power.

Second: The conflict between "virtue" and "talent".Some places value “virtue” to cover up their lack of ability, while other places value “talent” and disregard morality, leading to the risk of turning officials into either useless, hypocritical people, or into a double-edged sword, invisibly leading to degeneration and degradation, even “stoned” with power. Without morality, one is not worthy of being a leader.

Third: The contradiction between process and substance. “Correct procedure” but not choosing the right person. This is correct procedure but counter-practical, turning the procedure into a form of cover for “deep climbing”, protecting group and guild interests, destroying the country’s interests, and blaspheming the people’s trust.

Fourth: The contradiction between openness and transparency and locality and closure. Personnel work still lacks transparency, many places cannot resist the influence of relationships, money, descendants, and disciples, leading to inequality in promotion opportunities for cadres, even destroying the vitality of the team...

Five: The contradiction between the need for innovation and the mindset of tenure. Personnel work has not yet overcome the mindset of term and regionalism, slowing down the process of creating a strategic cadre team for the nation with a long-term vision.

Six: The contradiction between quantity and quality.Practice in many periods warns of the disease of "bloated" apparatus but "empty" capacity, with too many people enjoying privileges but not enough people who can do the job.

Seven: The contradiction between the requirement for dedicated officials and the state of complacency in officialdom.Many people work as strategic cadres but lack historical sense and strategic political thinking.

Eight: Conflict between standards and promotion and use:Running for positions, running for power, running for rotation, “choosing relatives over talented people”, jealousy, envy “young bamboo cannot be tied down”, “the cricket is taller than the pot”… are distorting the value of strategic cadre standards and the Party’s fundamental work.

Nine: Conflict between individuals and the system.The mechanism of “power security” stifles the motivation for innovation, leading to the situation of “collision avoidance” and “seat preservation”. Many agencies with authority in personnel work turn national affairs into a “black box” in selecting and creating a team of officials at the same level as the important ones.

Tenth: The contradiction between the stagnant old and the need for breakthrough innovation:Strategic cadres must be able to "pierce" old visions that are being hindered by the culture of "average" and "sitting still when your neighbor's house is on fire"...

With a multidimensional view of the whole system, in terms of methodology, we can summarize 5 breakthrough points:

1. Reconstructing political science and ethics in the thinking of cadres:Power is not a tool for governing but a tool for creating, leading and being responsible to the people. Each cadre must examine himself through the “three respects”: (1). Respect for the people: Listening to the people, serving the people; (2). Respect for the law: Respect, not standing above discipline, standing outside the law; (3). Respect for the right path: Living and acting according to the Party’s ideals and the people’s aspirations; respecting the law and upholding morality.

2. Taking public service as the center and the nation as the supreme priority as the foundation of core actions:Create a political culture of integrity and service. Build a team of cadres with a national mindset and a spirit of serving the people instead of "being an official and enjoying benefits". The team of strategic cadres must be trained to serve the Fatherland, for the people, for the country, not for the interests of isolated groups, and certainly not for narrow-minded personal interests. Whoever knows how to restrain narrow-mindedness of groups and individuals will have prestige without asking for it.

3. Arousing aspirations, ethics and political culture:This is the “golden triangle” to form the mettle, capacity and character of cadres on the basis of “cadre culture”: integrity, impartiality, dedication and self-respect. The lower one puts oneself, the greater the influence. Moral degradation definitely leads to moral death and no place to hide.

4. Implement a mechanism to select talented people, not factions:The reality of division of parts and factions is rampant among many people. The mechanism of controlling power and screening officials must be substantial, but is being dominated by localism and privilege in the "golden circle of structure", "golden circle of privilege"...

5. Employ young officials but do not "rejuvenate administration":Young but must demonstrate political mettle, dedication, innovation; not purely follow age and use it based on "illusions" of temporary achievements, replacing form with content, even camouflage or "fake embellishment".

Among the many important matters, three main and urgent types of work stand out:

1. Identifying potential leaders is the first but most important step in personnel work.Breakthrough in innovation of the process of evaluating cadres. This is the most difficult, most challenging, and most important thing. We need to gain work efficiency and real trust from the people and subordinates, instead of just taking votes of confidence at all levels. Cadres without the trust of the people will have nothing!

Build a mechanism to discover, select and protect talents. Establish a mechanism to make good use of talents: Use talented people, even if they “don’t know anyone”. Protect people who dare to think, dare to do, dare to take responsibility, avoid isolating and besieging talented people…

Detecting cadres through practice, dedication, challenges and people's opinions; detecting from practice, not just from records: Capable people must be detected through actions, results, and recognition from the people, not just through achievements on paper and empty reports.

And, discovered through challenges, commitment: In difficulty and crisis, leadership qualities are revealed - this is the most important test. A person who holds the country's affairs in high esteem needs to have: humanity, righteousness, loyalty, trust, courage, and strategy. Being rich without breaking the law is humanity, being noble without being arrogant is righteousness, being assigned a difficult task without changing one's mind is loyalty, being employed in a high position without being cautious is trust, being in danger without fear is courage, handling work without confusion is strategy.

2. Selecting talent, no structure, no familiarity, no compromise.If we discover that we must go first, then we must choose and employ people who are not tenure-based, regionalized, or factionalized. Only talented people can see, attract, and properly employ talented people.

Ensure the reform principle: Selection based on real talent, not according to a rigid structure. Do not choose people based on familiarity, factions, or compromises. On the contrary, choose worthy people based on fairness and transparency. Do not choose average people to maintain peace, and do not choose flatterers and bullies to gain consensus. Do not choose opportunists to be easily controlled or "keep quiet and take money" to maintain artificial stability. Do not choose according to a structure of dividing shares or factions, but maintain a structure to choose the right people with virtue and talent, people who can do the job.

3. Empower people to do big jobs, trust and accept differences.Employing is not just about appointing positions, but about empowering, creating conditions and protecting space for creative action. Employing people with vision, creative thinking, the ability to think big, the courage to do real things and the courage to take responsibility. Respecting and protecting all differences, even the unusual, by removing entrenched behaviors in bureaucratic and formal corridors.

Entrust with big and difficult tasks to test, to screen, to use and to treat talented people. Do not choose people who are good at talking but bad at doing, “have tongues longer than hands”, “betray teachers and friends”, especially those who say the opposite of what they do, who as children have the guts to steal a melon, but when grown up have the guts to steal an elephant from the national treasury, even “one inch to the sky”, “sell the sky without a certificate”.

Do not arrange for key local officials at all levels and fields to be local people, moving towards delocalization in national administrative agencies and strategic advisory bodies.

Be on the lookout for all means to "unlock" the personnel work process by dark and corrupt "alliances", by money and power to "separatize" the ranks and "chop up", even to tilt the nation's justice.

4. Empowerment is accepting positive differences, not being afraid of people who are better than you.Breakthrough in training - use - treatment mechanism. Talent is the difference. Taking work efficiency as the common denominator to confirm cadres, we should accept all personalities, all backgrounds, strengths and weaknesses. Here, the person holding the responsibility in cadre work needs to be brave, open-minded, humane, especially surpassing himself to maintain discipline and integrity in using cadres.

Be alert and do not tolerate the situation of “going heavy and returning heavy, going light and returning light, going empty and returning empty” in attracting, arranging, using and promoting cadres. Reform the system of using the right people, screening regularly and giving appropriate treatment, considering this as a culture of self-cleaning the team, a culture of selection and a culture of valuing talents...

In this regard, three main tasks are prominent and urgent:

1. Protect those who dare to do and take responsibility.Establish a mechanism to detect and protect talents: Protect innovative cadres, without stereotypes, discrimination, or attachment to creative personalities. Build a talent policy as a "sacred law" of the Party and State.

Protect those who dare to think, dare to do, dare to take responsibility, not those who commit wrongdoing. We need to protect cadres with heart, vision, ideals, and responsibility, even though they may not be perfect.

If officials make mistakes, they should correct them, but if leaders are timid, defensive, and do not dare to do anything because they are afraid of making mistakes and taking responsibility, that is much more dangerous.

2. Inspection, public supervision, and discipline without exception, linked to people's supervision and ensuring continuity.This is a fair and transparent warning - alert - prevention - handling system.

Not all social forces are born from power, but many disasters, even deaths, are born from uncontrolled or half-controlled power. Therefore, the position, role, and power of leadership agencies at all levels in personnel work must be closely linked to political responsibility, legal responsibility, and moral obligations in a public and transparent manner.

The higher the leadership, the more deeply and extensively they must be supervised and inspected, and the more severely they must be disciplined than cadres and party members who do not hold positions in the political system. Supervision and inspection must come first, regularly - publicly - systematically, not waiting for signs to start or following to "clean up" the consequences. That is the law of politics and political morality.

3. Upgrade the multi-dimensional evaluation and monitoring system using data - results - social feedback according to responsibility.

Nothing can “measure” cadres and public servants more accurately and objectively than the trust of the people and subordinates. Promote the supervision of the people, the press and the Party’s agencies in the political system – three layers of supervision and inspection that are independent but closely linked and unified in terms of law and morality. No one is allowed to stand outside the supervision, inspection and discipline. Accountability of people and agencies with authority and responsibility in personnel work in a transparent manner.

1. Leadership training must be comprehensive, not dogmatic, not scholastic, all for action.

About the goal: Training on Vision - Intelligence - Courage - Ethics - Action.

Regarding ideology: Not teaching people to become officials, but teaching them to live decently, do the right thing, act with integrity, not compete, not harm others, live honestly, not be ashamed, have the courage to commit and dare to take responsibility before the people and the Fatherland.

Regarding content: Restructuring the training program, especially in terms of expertise, management capacity, global systems thinking, and national policy making capacity. Especially in terms of expertise and management capacity, without expertise, one cannot lead anything. However, without ethics, one will surely fail. This world has always belonged to people with good hearts.

All aim to improve intelligence - political ethics - courage - practical action - four basic pillars that create people's trust in leaders..

In terms of method: Combining school training - practical training - learning from the People. Parallel between school and practical life and development among the People. In other words, it is not only "learning theory" but also having to connect and solve practical problems and experience difficult areas, difficult tasks, especially resolving "bottlenecks" at the turning points or turning points of success and failure in practice.

2. The rotation mechanism must be a strategic experience, not a structural roll call, a fake glaze:

We must bring cadres to places where breakthroughs are needed, where real challenges are tested. We must attach the evaluation mechanism to results, not “go and get points”, “go for show”… Prevent and stop the evils of “buying positions, buying power”, “buying crimes, buying discipline”… by means of transparency mechanisms and strict control of power in this field.

It is necessary to rely on three mirrors to determine the post-rotation, which are: People - Work results - Ethical qualities.

Without qualified cadres, there is no strong Party. Without a strong Party, there is no sustainable development of the country. After having a correct political development path, the decisive factor for success is the people, depending on the cadre team, first of all, the team of leaders of equal caliber and worthy. That is the important aspect of perfecting and enhancing the strength of the Party's leadership and governance methods, the prestige and strength of the nation in order to create and develop a prosperous era.

Successfully building a team of leaders at all levels, then the aspiration for a prosperous nation, even without asking for reality, will come naturally.