Founder & Chief Executive at Discovery Limited
City of Johannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa
224K followers
88 connections
224K followers
88 connections
About
A South African entrepreneur, founder and Chief Executive of the Discovery Group.
Launched Discovery in South Africa in 1992, with one purpose: to make people healthier and enhance their lives. Discovery has since evolved into a diversified and multinational financial services group. Discovery is widely acknowledged as a global leader in wellness behavioural change and its integration with health, life and short-term insurance. Under Adrian’s leadership, Discovery and the Vitality Shared-Valued Insurance Model is present in 28 countries, serving over 20 million members worldwide.
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224K followers
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Adrian Gore shared thisHolding 'The Four Principles' for the first time is a profound moment for me because it captures over 30 years of thinking, and because I know the work that went into it. See more on: https://lnkd.in/dvGyM8E7
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Adrian Gore shared thisI ran the Boston Marathon in barefoot shoes and people keep asking whether the shoes hurt my time. So I went back to my training data to answer the question. The numbers were a pleasant surprise. As you can see from the data, my efficiency metrics were all solid: high cadence, low ground contact, controlled stride. This is the signature of a biomechanically efficient runner, and my form held across the full distance. Secondly, my pacing tells the story of the barefoot shoes’ effectiveness. I settled into ~5:00/km within the first few kilometres and held it almost dead flat to the finish. I managed to run 38 of the 42.2 kms at 4:54/km. I’m not an evangelist for Vibrams and I'm excited about the potential of new super shoes and running technology. But when it comes to my personal experience, I have no doubt I’m faster running barefoot than in conventional running shoes. The form these shoes demand translates directly into performance. Consider my logic. I’m no elite runner. In fact, I’ve never run faster than 3:25, even in my 20s when I ran in conventional shoes. Yet I ran London aged 60 in 3:37, the first time I ran barefoot, and Boston aged 61 in 3:31. The Boston time placed me around the top 20% of finishers in my age category. For a casual runner, this seems implausible, unless the barefoot approach was helpful. If you consider the London marathon, which is not based on time qualification & therefore more representative of the average, I would have placed in the top 12% in my age group. To make the case stronger, assume that the barefoot approach is the same speed as conventional running shoes. The new 'super shoes' that most of the field were running in would reduce my time by roughly 5% to 7%. That would mean my time would have reduced to approximately 3:18, placing me in the top 6% in Boston. Frankly not believable. The starting assumption must be wrong. Barefoot running is not equivalent to conventional shoes. It's faster, at least for me, because it enforces the biomechanics that drive efficiency and performance. The only real question is whether modern carbon-plated shoes could be faster still. That remains an open question. My conclusion, both in how I feel on the run and as seen in the data, is that barefoot running is amazingly fast. Even over the 42.2 km of a marathon. The shoes provide proprioceptive feedback, reinforce a forefoot–midfoot strike, and deliver impact protection that comes from technique rather than foam. At 61, the choice is deliberate: prioritising form integrity, durability, and longevity while maintaining performance. Beyond the metrics, running barefoot brings a directness, a connection to the road that modern shoes insulate and obscure. You feel the rhythm, the subtle variations underfoot. It's more natural and ultimately more enjoyable. There's simplicity and a beauty to it that no shoe can replicate. This was not a compromised run. It was a disciplined one. I’m satisfied with the outcome.
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Adrian Gore shared thisOn Monday this week, I was one of an estimated 30,000 runners lined up from Hopkinton to Boston for the 130th edition of the world’s oldest continuously run marathon. What stays with me most is how transformative goal setting can be. A goal doesn’t only give you something to aim for; it also gives you something to lose. That’s where loss aversion becomes so powerful - you are deeply motivated to make the declared goal possible. Goals are also recursive. One breakthrough resets your definition of what’s possible, and the next goal is built on the new standard. It’s the Bannister Effect in everyday form: once a perceived barrier is broken, it stops being mythical and starts being measurable. My own arc has looked like this: a 5 minute mile attempt (and an injury that forced a rethink), then London last year - a “respectable” marathon time that genuinely shifted my belief about what I could do - and now Boston, where I managed to beat my London time. Finally, I’ve found that stretch goals are additive, not diminishing. They don’t just demand more from you; they help you prioritise better. It has been a hugely busy and successful period for Discovery requiring a huge amount of work and drive, I also completed my book, The Four Principles - so a blistering schedule and pace. But doable. Primarily by focusing my sleep time and efficiency. I will shortly share my data to explain my strategy which I think has worked well for me. The most memorable part of the race was sharing the experience - and the finish line - with my children.
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Adrian Gore shared thisSo, what are the Four Principles? They seem simple but they are deep, with significant scientific and mathematical backing when it comes to their impact. Combined, they lead to a 24x multiplier effect on your leadership impact. This isn’t theoretical hyperbole – it’s demonstrated mathematically in the book. In this clip, I explain each principle in detail. The Four Principles is out on 30 July 2026 and available for pre-order here: https://lnkd.in/d3CKZzNC I really believe that once grasped and implemented, they will radically change your life.
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Adrian Gore shared thisWhy is the book relevant now? We are all living through immense complexity and change and there is a profound need for positive leadership and impact. I’m convinced the book and its applicability are perfectly timed for this moment. The Four Principles is out on 30 July 2026 and available for pre-order here: https://lnkd.in/d3CKZzNC
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Adrian Gore shared thisWhy did I write The Four Principles? I wrote it because I became obsessed with the question of impact, namely, why do some people create extraordinary impact while others with the same ability stall? People with similar intelligence, opportunity and resources often achieve vastly different outcomes, not because of who they are, but because of how effectively they convert potential into action. The book explores the mental miscoding that holds us back, and the principles that correct this miscoding, enabling people to unlock exponential impact in their personal and professional lives. The Four Principles is out on 30 July 2026 and available for pre-order here: https://lnkd.in/d3CKZzNC
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Adrian Gore shared thisToday is our anniversary – marking 34 years of building a global organisation that impacts society in a unique and positive way. It's hard to juxtapose this with the to-do list from 34 years ago – that's what great people can achieve. As a founder, it’s difficult to isolate a single milestone that stands out or choose one of our values that is most meaningful. It has been an incredible journey of constant growth and progress – interspersed with some moments of terror. I’m excited about the future and the potential to further transform people’s lives.
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Adrian Gore shared thisWe announced our interim results to the media and market yesterday and I wanted to share some of the highlights with you. The Group achieved a strong performance against a backdrop of considerable complexity, including geopolitical disruption and the rapid evolution of A.I. Thank you to all our people for this remarkable performance – along with our purpose and values, you remain our greatest asset and driver of ongoing innovation and impact.
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Adrian Gore shared thisThe Winter Olympics are underway, and I recently read a remarkable piece on Jessie Diggins, the American cross-country skier. (https://shorturl.at/PCECl) In one Olympic race, she lined up after being violently ill the night before. The temperature was close to minus 20 degrees. Her vision later turned pink. Sound was muffled. Her muscles cramped. She collapsed at the finish – contacts frozen to her eyeballs. And yet she won a silver medal. What fascinates me about performances like that is not just physical endurance; it’s something deeper. In sports science, there’s a concept known as the central governor theory, proposed by Tim Noakes. It suggests that fatigue is not the body running out of fuel, but a protective mechanism regulated by the brain, to conserve effort before the body reaches true physiological failure. This explains why athletes often feel they’ve hit their absolute limit, only to find they can sprint at the end of the race. I’ve long believed this idea extends beyond sport into our professional lives. In leadership, business, and personal growth, the central question is not capability, but commitment: how hard are we prepared to work to achieve a given goal? Goals matter because they put something at stake. Loss aversion creates intrinsic motivation. But motivation alone is insufficient. It must be converted into action – into sustained effort, particularly when fatigue, pressure, and competing demands set in. Sport provides a clear example for this because the goals are explicit and the rewards and costs are unambiguous. Time and again, we’ve seen that even when athletes appear to be operating at their limit, there is usually more in the tank. As an actuary, I sometimes think about this through the mathematical concept of an open set – a set that does not include its boundary. Consider the set defined by x < 100. For any number in the set, 99 for example, there is a number larger that is still in the set, such as 99.9. It means that for any point you’re at, there’s always a little more room. There is always an epsilon – space to move just a bit further. When a goal truly matters, people can tolerate far more discomfort than they initially believe possible. Yet in life and work, we rarely frame goals with the seriousness Olympians bring to winning a medal. More often, we fall back on reassuring platitudes: that we need to be sensible, that we’ve done enough. But adopting the mindset of an Olympian can be clarifying. It compels you to ask: what am I truly willing to sacrifice; how far am I prepared to stretch myself in pursuit of this goal? The reality is that, in most instances, regardless of how hard we think we’re working, we can work harder. I find this immensely inspiring. I’d love to hear if you’ve encountered a seemingly insurmountable wall in life, and how you overcame it. What was on the other side?‘All It Is Is Pain’: The Olympian Testing the Limits of Endurance‘All It Is Is Pain’: The Olympian Testing the Limits of Endurance
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Thank you everyone for the kind comments. Several of you have asked where you can get the book - it is available for pre-order here: https://www.panmacmillan.co.za/authors/adrian-gore/the-four-principles/9780639881706 and will be sold in major bookstores from 30 July.
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