Overview:

Senior General Vo Nguyen Giap was a self-taught soldier who became

the Vietnamese military commander and national hero who organized
the Vietnamese army to defeat the French and the American armies He
is often considered the single greatest military genius of the twentieth
century and one of the greatest of all time.
- was born into a deeply patriotic family.
- was extremely intelligent. During his high school years, he ranked
first each time the grade went up, except for one month when he
ranked second.
- After he fled to China for the revolutionary cause, his wife and his
father were captured, jailed and tortured to the edge of sanity and
perhaps beyond and dead.
- The Vietnam Peoples army, under his leadership, started with only 34
men assembled in a forest in northern Vietnam. The army defeated
better-supplied, better equipped and better-fed enemies for almost 3
decades.
Notes:
The big 5 Traits of Effective Leaders (all demonstrated by the Dien
Bien Phu battle)
Surgency He made decision and demanded full obedience. He always
showed great determination and optimism
Agreeableness To earn the sympathy of local population, he and his
troops offered help in local projects. He also carefully schooled the
troops to be scrupulous in their behaviors, insisting that his men be
carefully correct around the women.
Adjustment He was indifferent to the high casualties of his army.
Every minute, hundreds of thousands of people die all over the world.
The life or death of a hundred, a thousand or of tens of thousands of
human beings, even if they are our own compatriot, represents very
little. He never wavered even after suffering from consecutive combat
losses.
Conscientiousness He was highly trusted among the whole army.
Openness He changed the Dien Bien Phu strategy at the last minute,
from Fast Trike, Fast Victory to Steady Attack, Steady Advance.
Expectancy Theory
Leadership styles:
Autocratic
Job- centered
Structure
Concern for production

Influencing tactics:
Legitimization
Rational persuasion
Pressure
Inspirational appeal