Imagine this: a computer that saved millions of lives

I loved the line in The Imitation Game, used more than once: “Sometimes it’s the very people no one can imagine doing anything who do things no one can imagine”. In our modern day, Alan Turing would be called a geek, perhaps told he had Asberger's... but he would not have been prosecuted for being homosexual and forced to receive hormonal 'treatment' (at least not in progressive countries).

While Ada Lovelace is the mother of computing (and perhaps a film needs to be made of her life too, one day), this is the story of the father of modern computing. Put simply, the work of Mr Turing and his team at Bletchley Park shortened the second world war by at least two years, possibly longer. I can rave about the acting (Benedict Cumberbatch is stupendous and Keira Knightley shows great depth) but I will also rave about the costumes and sets: both superbly done. This is an evocative and provocative film that you simply must go and see.

This film might have been sub titled: Secrets & Sacrifices. In common with most war films, this is a story of sacrifice, but not in the usual way. Part of the sacrifice was to give up, almost for ever, telling the truth. This might sit easily with the agent of MI6 (who adds more humour than I expected to the film), but it does not rest easily with the team of geeks who wrestle with playing God and almost literally rolling the dice.

And so it is for leaders too. Leaders cannot always tell the whole truth for a whole range of reasons. Secrets must sometimes be kept. We all keep secrets: arguably it is what defines being an adult. But leaders have to appear open and transparent even when they know they are not being so. This requires some considerable mental & moral juggling combined with a high degree of care in what is said publicly

As leaders, where do you learn how to do this?

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This is the sixty second of my 2014 series of blogs about leadership ideas to be found in the movies of our time. You can read here as why I am doing this. Please subscribe to this blog if you want to read more. Thanks. Click the label 'film' to see all the others.