Major Blankenship urges Buncombe County Schools top scholars to make character the base of leadership

Major Caleb Blankenship, a speechwriter and special adviser to the vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told Buncombe County Schools' top scholars that leadership is built on character and earned authority, not merely power or rank.

Blankenship, an Owen High School graduate who went on to the U.S. Military Academy at West Point and later earned graduate degrees from Harvard University and U.S. Army schools, framed his remarks around the idea that "character is the bedrock of leadership" and that leadership ultimately is "influence." He told the students to decide first who they want to be and let that choice guide subsequent decisions about college, careers and relationships.

The nut graf: Blankenship said students face many important choices — classes, majors, jobs and where to live — but urged them not to "miss the forest for the trees" and to let a commitment to character and service shape those choices.

Blankenship described his own turning point at West Point, when, cut off from family and comfort, he said he consciously chose "to stay true to my core values" and to let character guide his decisions. He contrasted two mechanisms of influence: "power," which he described as forcing compliance, and "authority," which he described as earning voluntary commitment. "Power earns compliance and mere compliance produces adequacy," he said. "Authority earns commitment and committed people produce excellence."

He listed attributes he said define "servant leaders," including selflessness, commitment, patience, honesty, humility, respect, justice and forgiveness, and urged the students to earn authority by serving others. "You do not have to wait for someone to give you the kind of authority I'm talking about," he said. "You have to earn it over time. You have to build it through your decisions and through your character."

Blankenship summarized parts of his biography during the talk: he graduated from Owen High School in 02/2005; attended West Point (earning a degree in political science with a minor in terrorism studies); served in Germany and Poland; earned a master's in public policy from Harvard University, a master's in operational studies from the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College, and a master of arts in military operations from the School of Advanced Military Studies. He said he has led units ranging in size from about 16 people to about 4,800 and was redeployed from Europe last year; he said he is currently based in Washington, D.C.

He also told a personal story about missing early time with his eldest daughter while deployed and said that experience led him to deliberately shift his priorities to put family first when necessary. "If at any time I believe my job is getting in the way of my identity I'll happily walk away from the job," he said.

The speech acknowledged recent local hardships: Blankenship praised the community response to last fall's hurricane and said Buncombe County's response demonstrated "Together We Rise," the district theme. He closed by congratulating the top scholars and repeating his central charge: decide who you want to be, strengthen your character and serve others.

Introducer remarks at the start of the program highlighted Blankenship's local roots in Asheville and Swannanoa, his service record and family in the audience. The introducer quoted a teacher, Mary Julian, saying Blankenship "had the ability to focus on the present, but had a laser beam on his future."

Blankenship's remarks were delivered in a forum for Buncombe County Schools' top scholars; no formal actions or decisions were taken during the presentation.