As an engineer I'm constantly spotting problems and plotting how to solve them.

We’re taught to do things the right way. But if you want to discover something that other people haven’t, you need to do things the wrong way. Initiate a failure by doing something that’s very silly, unthinkable, naughty, dangerous. Watching why that fails can take you on a completely different path. It’s exciting, actually. To me, solving problems is a bit like a drug. You’re on it, and you can’t get off.

An inventor's path is chorused with groans, riddled with fist-banging and punctuated by head scratches.

When decisions on nuclear power stations and runways are delayed and the government dilly-dallies, people think they aren't important.

What I've learned from running is that the time to push hard is when you're hurting like crazy and you want to give up. Success is often just around the corner.

If you want to do something different, you’re going to come up against a lot of naysayers.

Having a good idea is one thing, but persuading other people to buy it is quite another. Good inventors are polymaths: they think with their hands and their brains. They're experts in design, engineering and business.