What People Get Wrong About Resourcefulness

Let me tell you two stories. One about Napoleon, the former Emperor of France, and Steve Schwarzman, the cofounder of Blackstone:

Napoleon at the Siege of Toulon

In 1793, a 24-year-old Napoleon arrived at a military disaster.

The coastal city of Toulon had betrayed France's new revolutionary government. The city's leaders had invited enemy forces from Britain, Spain, and Naples to occupy it. These foreign troops had taken over the city's massive fortifications and its naval base.

This wasn't just any city. Toulon held France's most important Mediterranean port and naval base. Losing it meant the enemy controlled a major strategic position on France's coast. The revolutionary government desperately needed it back.

For three months, French generals had been trying to recapture the city. They kept launching direct attacks on the city walls and fortifications. Every assault failed with heavy casualties. The generals blamed their failures on not having enough soldiers or equipment.

Napoleon looked at the same situation and realized something the other generals had missed. The enemy garrison could only survive because warships in the harbor kept bringing them food and supplies. The city walls were strong, but they didn't matter. If Napoleon could make the harbor too dangerous for those ships, the fleet would have to leave. Without the fleet, the garrison would be cut off and trapped.

Napoleon needed artillery positioned on the heights overlooking the harbor. The other generals said this was impossible because they didn't have enough artillery. So Napoleon decided to change that.

He sent urgent requests to every nearby town and military post. He convinced local commanders to send him their cannons. He even persuaded former rebels in the area to supply horses and transport equipment.

Over several weeks, Napoleon assembled 100 artillery pieces. He positioned them in 50 different batteries on the hills surrounding Fort Mulgrave. This fort sat on high ground controlling the entrance to the harbor. Capturing it would put his cannons in perfect position to bombard any ship trying to enter or leave.

On the night of December 16th, Napoleon personally led the assault on Fort Mulgrave. By morning, his forces had captured the fort.

Napoleon immediately positioned his artillery batteries at the fort. His 100 cannons now had a clear shot at every ship in the harbor. Within 24 hours, the British fleet evacuated. The enemy garrison, now cut off from supplies, surrendered immediately without another battle.

Steve Schwarzman at Yale

At Yale University in the 1960s, Stephen Schwarzman wanted membership in Skull and Bones, the most exclusive secret society on campus.

Founded in 1832, Skull and Bones had inducted future presidents and Supreme Court justices. Members met in a windowless stone tomb, bound by lifetime oaths of secrecy. Getting "tapped" meant guaranteed entry into America's elite circles.

Most ambitious students started with their existing talents (working harder at academics, athletics, or campus leadership). But Schwarzman asked a different question: "What would actually make me impossible to ignore?"

He realized that Yale's 4,000 male students faced one overwhelming problem: no access to women. The university's strict rules and social isolation created a campus-wide frustration that no one was addressing.

Instead of competing in crowded traditional categories, Schwarzman created the Davenport Ballet Society. He invited dancers from nearby women's colleges to perform, then convinced the world-renowned New York City Ballet to send performers to Yale. Finally, he organized free attendance at New York dress rehearsals, filling theaters with Yale men and women from other colleges.

By solving the problem everyone faced but no one tackled, he made himself indispensable. Skull and Bones tapped him not because he was the best student or athlete, but because he had engineered a unique form of campus leadership.

The Takeaway

When we describe someone as resourceful, we mean someone who's good at making the most of what they have. But true resourcefulness is about figuring out what you're trying to accomplish, then gathering whatever it takes to make that goal inevitable.