It’s been a while since I last dipped my metaphorical pen in the digital inkbottle. No excuses, but the last 6 weeks or so have literally disappeared as I have been sucked into the maelstrom of the global recession. It has been a time of ambushes, attacks, strategic withdrawals (euphemism for getting a good kicking) and small victories.

I’ve suffered consequential casualties and learned many lessons. Foremost amongst these is that we must throw away the accepted formats of business life and very quickly sharpen our survival instincts. For, to very briefly borrow from Sun Tzu “ Don’t depend on your enemy not coming, depend rather on being ready for him”.

I like to think I know what I’m doing and I'm trying, diligently, to retain the flexibility to respond to the markets; creating a sense of urgency and dealing in the present. Because the recession is here now, its not a downturn anymore, it’s a global economic train smash where we’ve discovered that Nick Leeson at Barings was less of a one off than a kind of John the Baptist precursor of fiduciary malpractice. So, now we know our budgets are going to be slashed, our headcount decimated and our confidence take a battering. Job done, move on.

Its time to pick ourselves up and stop whingeing about our lot in life. Then get really smart and take a lead position. Go Guerilla and skirmish, baby, skirmish.

I’m, personally, skirmishing like a giant purple skirmishing thing and implementing everything from draconian supplier management to streamlining processes, policies and SLAs and discarding the less than absolutely vital. I’m trying to find quick, simple and effective elements to benefit the business.

Tearing up job descriptions and looking at new ways to merge functional teams. I’m trying to get my data ducks in a row without descending into the mire of ‘super apps’ and turgid development cycles. I’m trying to understand everything the business is doing and asking questions of everybody I meet to identify the ‘sweetspots’ where business activity and technology conjoin into a market beating symbiosis.

It really is the best of times for Information Technology and technologists to show what they can do, with less formality, less money and more courage. Using our natural speed and responsiveness, our capability to assimilate huge chunks of information to good effect and our innate ability to deliver against the odds. Combine this with our natural good looks, wit and charm and we are unassailable.