The natural reaction to bad times is to cut back. Trim the sails, hunker down, and wait for the wind to abate. But, as any sailor knows, taking charge in a storm means a lot more than hunkering down. It can mean steering in a precise direction to avoid a catastrophic breach. In a recession, every one should be on the bridge and not in the ship's bar. Regaining balance will be the result of combined courageous actions at command stations.
Source: Managing Automation