Roosevelt Knew: Leaders, “Do What You Can, With What You Have, Where You Are”

Theodore Roosevelt is often credited with the quote, “Do what you can, with what you have, where you are.” While the wording has appeared in several forms over the years, the sentiment traces back to Roosevelt’s 1910 speech in Paris—Citizenship in a Republic—and to his broader philosophy on action, responsibility, and personal agency. Roosevelt was not speaking about comfort, ideal conditions, or waiting for permission. He was speaking about movement. About choosing action over excuse.

That message resonates powerfully in the military—especially in moments when leadership matters most.

Leadership Rarely Comes With Ideal Conditions

Military leaders are trained in doctrine, resourced by logistics, and supported by planning staffs. But anyone who has served knows the truth: the moment the first round goes downrange, the plan starts to unravel.

You don’t always have the personnel you’re supposed to.
You don’t always have the equipment you requested.
You’re rarely operating in the environment you trained for.

Leadership doesn’t pause until conditions improve. The mission doesn’t wait. Neither do the people watching you for direction.

“Do what you can, with what you have, where you are” is not a motivational slogan—it is the lived reality of leadership in uniform.

Tactical Truth: Adapt or Fail

At the small-unit level, this principle is survival.

A squad leader with a wounded soldier, a broken radio, and limited visibility still has to make decisions. A platoon commander short on vehicles still has to move troops. A senior NCO dealing with exhausted, undertrained replacements still has to prepare them for combat.

The leaders who succeed are not always the most technically brilliant. They are the ones who adapt. They improvise. They understand that capability is relative and that forward momentum—however imperfect—is better than paralysis.

Waiting for perfect conditions is not caution. It’s abdication.

Strategic Leadership: Ownership Without Excuses

At higher levels, the quote becomes about accountability.

Military leaders are often constrained by policy, politics, and bureaucracy. It is easy to blame higher headquarters, budget cuts, or staffing shortages for failure. And sometimes those constraints are real.

But effective leaders don’t lead from a posture of complaint. They lead from ownership.

They ask:

• What authority do I have right now?
• What resources can I influence?
• What decisions am I empowered to make today?

Then they act.

This mindset builds trust—up and down the chain. Subordinates recognize leaders who are willing to work within limitations rather than hide behind them. Superiors recognize leaders who solve problems instead of forwarding excuses.

Example Is the Point

Roosevelt believed that action—visible, imperfect action—was the moral responsibility of citizens and leaders alike. In the military, that belief translates directly into example.

Troops don’t need leaders who have all the answers.
They need leaders who are willing to step forward anyway.

When a commander makes the best decision possible with incomplete information, it teaches initiative.
When an NCO finds a workaround instead of throwing up their hands, it teaches resilience.
When a leader stays present instead of retreating behind rank or regulation, it teaches trust.

The Bottom Line

Military leadership is not about having everything you want right when you think you need it. It is about making something work with what you have. Right now. In the place you stand.

Roosevelt’s words endure because they strip leadership down to its core: responsibility paired with action.

Do what you can.
With what you have.
Where you are.

That’s not just good advice.
That’s the profession of arms.

_____________________________

Charles served over 27 years in the US Army, which included seven combat tours in Iraq and Afghanistan with various Special Operations Forces units and two stints as an instructor at the United States Military Academy at West Point. He also completed operational tours in Egypt, the Philippines, and the Republic of Korea and earned a Doctor of Business Administration from Temple University as well as a Master of Arts in International Relations from Yale University. He is the owner of The Havok Journal, and the views expressed herein are his own and do not reflect those of the US Government or any other person or entity.

As the Voice of the Veteran Community, The Havok Journal seeks to publish a variety of perspectives on a number of sensitive subjects. Unless specifically noted otherwise, nothing we publish is an official point of view of The Havok Journal or any part of the U.S. government.