Firing Line: Too Many Front Lines

Then Secretary of Defense Les Aspin turned down the ranking commander's request for tanks, with horrific results later depicted in the book and movie Black Hawk Down.

After a fierce battle in Mogadishu, Pakistani U.N. forces had to rescue the U.S. Army, and the world saw the bodies of U.S. Army soldiers dragged through the streets. Why? The troops didn't have the proper resources in place to do the job, and they attempted to perform an operation outside of their core competency.

Aspin resigned, and two Delta Force soldiers posthumously received the Medal of Honor for their selfless actions during the battle.

Plans with the best of intentions will fail if you don't have the resources to pull them off. As we've seen on the front lines and in the front office, failing to match your resources with your priorities can have tragic consequences.

Good leaders want to emphasize taking action. But they also want to emphasize taking action with respect to available resources. Not enough or no resources, even with the best strategy, equals failure.