HIVE MIND: In tough times, the really smart CIOs and CTOs adopt the mindset of leadership thinking -- rethinking what they do and becoming even more valuable to their companies.

My writer is looking for war stories from IT execs – NOT VENDORS – about how you thrived and became more relevant and strategic during down times. What did you focus on?  What did you discover? What were the results? 

Tell us what you learned. DM if you prefer.