Beyond technology

• Photography

  Action and sports photography. Framing a moment that lasts fractions of a second is an exercise in anticipation — the same discipline operations demand.

• Sport

  Football and sport more widely, including supporting young athletes. Leadership, discipline and teamwork are learned faster in a changing room than in a training session.

• Travel

  Travel and exposure to other cultures. Working internationally teaches quickly that a shared standard solves half the problem and local reality solves the other half.

• Continuous learning

  Studying, trying technology first-hand and mentoring, including sitting on juries for student initiatives. Understanding where a tool breaks down means using it, not reading about it.

These four have more in common with the work than they appear to. Each one rewards anticipating, practising and correcting — and none of them comes off on the first attempt.