Less effort, more impact

On 26 September 1983, the world was saved by one man whose heroic action was to… do nothing.

Stanislav Petrov was on duty in a Russian bunker. He was monitoring the nuclear early warning system when it detected five US missiles flying towards the Soviet Union. Instead of immediately relaying this up the chain of command – which would have triggered retaliatory strikes – Petrov decided to do nothing and wait, somehow sensing that it may be a false alarm. The early warning system was new, and why would the US send only five missiles, not dozens?

It was a wise call. It later transpired that the alarm had been triggered by satellites mistaking clouds with bright sunlight reflections as missile flares.

Petrov’s decision to do nothing saved countless lives – maybe even yours and mine. At the time I was 12 and, like the rest of the world, blissfully unaware that we had come close to nuclear Armageddon. It was one of the most dangerous moments of the Cold War.

What can we learn from Petrov’s calm response under pressure?

Leaders and workplaces have an irresistible tendency for action and reaction. Petrov’s example shows that sometimes we can achieve far more by doing less.

I was recently reminded of this at a crowded swimming pool. Somehow the slow lane was empty, so I jumped in and swam deliberately slowly… and was shocked to find myself going as fast as the triathletes in the next lane. By slowing down, feeling the water and watching my technique, my strokes had become more powerful – with half the effort.

Which invites a question:

Where are we taking action for the sake of action? When should we pause and listen to our senses? What could benefit from doing less, not more?