A Modern Business Lesson from Soviet Lt. Colonel Stanislav Petrov: The Man Who Saved the World!

 

A Modern Business Lesson from Soviet Lt. Colonel Stanislav Petrov:

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The Man Who Saved the World!

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An original Business blog article by Yonatan Maisel

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It is a story almost too terrifying to believe. It appears at first to be the script of a Hollywood movie. But it really happened. And all of us, every single one of us alive today have one man to thank for our very existence…

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It is a chapter of history with many lessons. On heroism. On humanity. And for those in the world of Business.

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The date was September 26, 1983, the height of the Cold War. Mere weeks before, Soviet Air Force MIGs had shot down Korean Airlines Flight 007, a civilian 747 which had mistakenly strayed into Soviet airspace. All 269 aboard perished including U.S. Congressman Larry McDonald. The world was a powder-keg waiting to explode…

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On that morning, Lt. Colonel Stanislav Petrov was the duty-officer at "Oko," the secret military bunker in the Moscow suburbs which housed the Soviet Early Warning System, a network of computers designed to detect an incoming American nuclear attack…

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Just after midnight, sirens began blaring and lights flashing. The system had detected an incoming American nuclear missile. Shortly thereafter, four more were detected. All indications were that the US government under Ronald Reagan had launched a pre-emptive attack with its doomsday arsenal. The first wave was clearly on its way! And the outcome would be devastating…

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Soviet doctrine, at this point, though merely a warning, was terrifyingly clear: a full counter-attack of the country’s almost 10,000 nuclear warheads. If there was any delay, it would be too late to launch. The doctrine was crystal clear and beyond compromise. The computers were ready to begin the sequence to launch the Soviet counter-attack on their own…it would take the push of only one button to set them in action…and it was Petrov’s job to push that button!

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Petrov hesitated. He thought to push the button several times. His head was spinning. The fate of billions of people was literally in his hands. Yet at the same time he knew there would be severe consequences for not following orders. The world was on the brink of nuclear annihilation. He would later state: "I imagined if I’d assume the responsibility for unleashing the third World War – and I said, no, I wouldn’t."

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As it turns out, the detected launch was due to a series of bugs in the satellite detection system. There were never incoming ICBMs. In retrospect, however, Soviet military leaders stated emphatically that based on the warning alone, and given the limited time-frame for decision, they would have launched a nuclear attack against the United States! Petrov, who was initially praised by the Soviets, later underwent intense interrogation and reprimand for improperly following several procedures. And not wanting to admit to the failure of their defense system, the government needed a human scapegoat. Ridiculed and taunted, he was forced out of the military and suffered a nervous breakdown.

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In 2006, "The Man Who Saved the World" traveled to New York and at a special ceremony at the United Nations was presented with the World Citizen Award.

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Lessons for the World of Business:

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In the Business world, we might not have our fingers on buttons that control the outcome of humankind.

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Yet most of us do have our fingers on buttons: computer keys, and yes, the mouse.

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Whatever our business, whether computer engineers, marketers, pilots, lawyers or investors, as businesspeople in the 21st century, we have become reliant…perhaps overly reliant…on data. Yes, numbers, statistics, predictions, formulas, equations and more.

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Do we believe, should we believe, everything we see? Should we always follow what "infallable" machines dictate to us is the correct action to take? Or are there consequences for putting all of our hope into the hands of electronic circuitry? In the 21st Century is technology on the verge of supplanting the "gut instinct?"

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A human being is capable of making ethical and moral decisions and taking into account what is good, what is bad, what will harm and what will help. At this time I have yet to hear of a computer which can weigh decisions based on these factors. Nor has a machine ever been created which has a conscience.

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In 1983, one very special man…

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demonstrated that…

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There is still room for the HUMAN factor!

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He is a hero to whom we all owe a debt of gratitude! 

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Image Credits: Stanislav: www.myhero.com; Globe: www.1.bp.blogspot.com; Mushroom Cloud: www.heyokamagazine.com; Earth: www.imba.nccu.edu; chip: www.garnerosborne.co.uk  

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Yonatan Maisel is a Business blogger, history buff and author. He specializes in all aspects of Business writing.

From speeches to resumes, from corporate bios to research, from blogging to website content, from articles to ghost-writing, he provides the highest level of quality at a very reasonable price.