under threat

i really thought we were beyond the recession. in my career {a very short one so far} in banking i have only known the downturn in the financial services sector. i joined 6 months prior to the national credit act, when all banks were in the credit rush to offer you a card and/or a limit increase. we all did it, no finger-pointing here, please.

i signed off system changes when prime hit 15.5% and credit impairments shot through the roof. i reviewed market analysis and press articles rife with images of people cutting up their credit cards. i read with dismay how 1 million people lost their jobs in the peak of the "w" recession, how 3 of the big four banks retrenched. how one bank became the biggest second hand car dealer due to the number of monthly repossessions. i attended countless presentations on how 2010 will revive the markets, boost morale and give us the revitalisation we need to skip off the meniscus of the recession ocean.

and i thought we were through the worst of it. but we aren't. now there will be retrenchments. now there's name calling. duplication. a little bit of fat here, there. panic. defense. black. white. pale male. incompetence. last in, first out. streamlining. back to basics. budget forecasting. we forget we deal with people, not processes. we forget we deal with dads, not duplicated managerial roles. single moms with kids to feed.

yes, i have never known any other climate than this.
but this has to be the lowest point in my career.

but i am not my job description.
i am not my salary grade.
i am not my latest performance appraisal score.
i am not my key result area.

i simply trust in the great I AM.