Artwork for podcast James Reed: all about business
60. Gold medal to boardroom: The one olympic method I applied that turned my workforce elite | Adrian Moorhouse MBE
5th January 2026 • James Reed: all about business • Reed Global
00:00:00 01:00:38

Share Episode

Shownotes

Winning Olympic gold is one of the highest achievements in sport, but what are the skills that you can apply to build an elite team in your business?

In this episode of All About Business, James meets Adrian Moorhouse MBE, three-time Olympian and gold medalist. Adrian talks about his journey from the pool to the boardroom, exploring big hairy audacious goals (BHAGs), the power of curiosity, and heart-driven leadership in challenging times, and why mindset, meaning, and community matter more than ever for sustained success in sport and business.

Adrian discusses his entrepreneurial transition, launching Lane Four in 1995, growing it through high-performance culture and client impact, and navigating its sale to EY in 2021, while confronting common entrepreneur pitfalls. He also shares how escaping school bullying through swimming ignited his drive and why choices over sacrifices defined his path.

Timestamps

01:20 Transition to business

04:44 Challenges and learnings

07:58 Creating a winning team

12:41 Resilience and focus techniques

17:16 From athlete to entrepreneur

32:30 Navigating the 2008 financial crisis

36:46 Mentoring and leadership insights

48:53 The intersection of sports and business

57:09 The importance of curiosity in leadership

Follow James Reed on LinkedIn

Follow Adrian Moorhouse on Linkedin

Find out more about The Tom Dean Swim School

All About Business is brought to you by Reed Global. Learn more HERE

This podcast was co-produced by Reed Global and Flamingo Media. If you’d like to create a chart-topping podcast to elevate your brand, visit Flamingo-media.co.uk

Links

Chapters

Video

More from YouTube

More Episodes
60. Gold medal to boardroom: The one olympic method I applied that turned my workforce elite | Adrian Moorhouse MBE
01:00:38
59. From rejection to £100m deals: The Netflix pitch that changed British TV | Andy Harries OBE
01:14:16
58. Behind the doors of Downton Abbey: Managing the 1,300-year-old Highclere Castle | Lady Carnarvon
00:57:34
57. How to spot the next billion dollar opportunity before everyone else | James McHugh
01:04:07
56. Banishing bureaucracy: How Octopus Group built a culture of entrepreneurship leading to a $9 billion valuation | Chris Hulatt
00:58:20
55. Fame, failure & a 12-stone weight loss: The journey to 2 Michelin stars | Tom Kerridge
00:50:38
54. The secret behavioural prompts brands use to influence your choices | Raphy March
01:07:47
53. Titan of the hotel industry reveals the 3 things you need to know to open a luxury hospitality business | Sir Rocco Forte
01:12:31
52. Karma Capitalism: Why being a good business IS good business | James Reed, CBE
00:54:04
51. Celebrity Traitors finale week: The REAL big dog! Producer and Founder of Studio Lambert | Stephen Lambert OBE
01:12:03
50. How to spot a charity that's a red flag (and how to give smarter) | John Spiers
00:56:07
49: Is your passion a business worth starting?: The simple method to find out | Johnnie Boden CBE
01:00:36
48: Is this platform a new era beyond OnlyFans?: Innovation VS ethical responsibility | Felix Henderson
00:58:12
47: The power of PR: Controlling your brand reputation and the steps to handling a media crisis | Sarah Woodhouse
00:58:21
46. “We lost 11 million in one month!”: What Hays Travel did to go from crisis to smashing £3 Billion | Dame Irene Hays
01:05:05
45. Should you hire ex offenders? Reed's report is here and the verdict is in! | Alex Head
00:51:08
44. Can we save the post-covid schooling crisis with THIS AI tool? | Phillippa De’Ath
00:47:17
5 top summer takeaways you should hear to grow your business - Part 2
00:18:49
43. 5 top summer takeaways you should hear to grow your business - Part 1
00:17:09
42. Silent Disco Founder: "I didn’t want to build a company; I wanted to build a feeling" | Toby Burns
01:05:42
41. The new poverty line: How working professionals are being pushed into hardship and what to do about it| Mark Game
00:59:53
40. Microsoft’s 6 principles for developing the best AI strategy | Jed Griffiths
01:05:47
39. Smarter, fairer, faster: How AI is redefining graduate hiring | James Uffindell
01:02:39
38. The chemistry of growth: turning a mould problem into a thriving business | Byron Dixon, OBE
01:01:01
37. Hitting rock bottom to building a global brand from scratch | Matthew Jones, The King of Doughnuts
01:04:33
36. How to get users on your app from day one | Michelle Kennedy
00:57:30
35. Cargo without borders: How airships are about to connect the unreachable | Mark Dorey
00:57:32
34. The importance of being idle: A serious case for doing less | Tom Hodgkinson
00:57:31
33. Surfers Against Sewage: Are we sitting on a public health time bomb? | Giles Bristow
01:01:34
32. What a venture capitalist is REALLY looking for when deciding to invest in your business | Sasha Kaletsky
00:56:44
31. MIND GYM: The work-out that will enhance your brain for ultimate productivity | Octavius Black CBE
00:49:37
30. How the Princess of Wales’ favourite designer would build a jewellery brand in 2025 | Kiki McDonough
00:51:03
29. From nail art in Dalston to global beauty-tech icon | Sharmadean Reid MBE
01:05:17
28. Adapt or die: How can businesses improve efficiency? | Livio Manzini
00:53:19
27. Lewis Hamilton’s brand expert reveals the key to building a winning reputation | David Robertson Mitchell
00:54:45
26. "Net Zero is a Fantasy!" 5 ways to save the economy according to Luke Johnson, former Gails Chairman
00:48:57
25. Human-like AI is rewiring our kids' brains! Educating the future generation with Philip Colligan
00:47:50
24. Responding to a crisis: The force behind getting life-saving vaccines to the public | Dame Kate Bingham
00:54:23
23. From shop floor to CEO of Kurt Geiger: How to climb to the top in fashion with Neil Clifford
01:11:31
22. 82% of management are 'accidental managers'. Here's how to fix it | Ann Francke OBE, CEO of CMI
00:56:45
21. Fix your ops issues and save thousands every year by looking at THIS data | Anita Dougall
00:48:08
20. LADbible Founder: The contract I signed that put me in hospital | Alex Partridge
00:45:24
19. GOOD SQUISH: Harnessing the power of an instagram personality to generate thousands of sales | Billie-Jo Cronin
00:40:49
18. What The UK needs to learn from Silicon Valley about AI: The Hollingsworth Brothers, Fyxer AI
01:03:44
17. The world's #1 mental health clinic for the rich and famous: Spotting the signs before it's too late | Jan Gerber
01:04:54
16. Sir Alec Reed at 91: A British business legend
00:43:57
15. Making big decisions whilst sticking to your values with Steph Rix
00:45:15
14. Ruby Wax OBE: Is your workforce frazzled? The science of mindfulness and increasing productivity
00:57:00
13. Taking on a family zoo business and making a success of it | Reggie Heyworth
00:54:34
12. How to deliver social impact to drive more profit | Isabel Kelly, Founder of Profit with Purpose
00:56:46
Bonus Ep: The Darker Side of Journalism: One Woman's Journey to Fleet Street | Shorts with Sue Douglas part 3
00:05:24
Bonus Ep: Balancing Business Leadership and Family Life | Shorts with Sue Douglas part 2
00:08:01
Bonus Ep: Breaking the Blood Scandal | Shorts with Sue Douglas part 1
00:10:25
11. Rob Moore: Property is not a rich man’s game! How to turn debt into millions
01:06:27
10. How to bootstrap your hobby into a successful business | Nicola Reed
00:42:22
9. Entry level to managing director: How to make it happen | Donna Murrell
00:57:21
8. The 10 second customer journey: stop friction and increase growth | Todd Unger
00:49:42
7. Drive big business by understanding your customers on a local level | Andy Cook, Centre for Social Justice
00:40:54
6. The 4 questions you need to answer to attract and retain top talent and customers | Becky Willan, CEO of Given
00:53:07
5. The business model to smash a £30million target | Alex Day BigGive
00:43:19
4. This is how you get millions of followers (whilst remaining authentic) | OtherVoices Philip & Molly King
00:47:07
3. How to build a digital empire with Oli Green | CEO of Brave Bison
00:41:34
2. Hollywood’s Paul Weiland OBE reveals the key to profit-growing advertising campaigns
00:50:00
1. Why 'diversity' isn't the goal for a thriving workforce | Dr. Heather Melville, OBE
00:50:14
Trailer
00:01:12