Big-company corporate development departments dream of acquisitions that substantially boost revenue or bring assets that turbo-charge growth. CEOs of midsized companies I’ve come to know over the last 30 years share the same dream. But they are far more cautious, as they should be. Unlike a Fortune 500 company that can casually take a write-down, a midsized firm often can’t recover from a strategic acquisition that goes up in flames. And plenty do.