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Discovery’s success story can best be described as the silver lining to a dark cloud. The multi-billion-rand company, which now forms part of the Johannesburg Stock Exchange’s (JSE) elite Top 40 Index, was co-founded by Adrian Gore and Barry Swartzberg in 1992 — a time when South Africa was gripped by the violence and racial intolerance that defined the last few years of legalised apartheid.
What is success?
On Tuesday 11 August, Gore launched his book, titled The Four Principles: Multiply Your Impact in Life and Leadership, at the Sandton Convention Centre. Published by Pan Macmillan, the event attracted some of the country’s leading minds in academia, journalism and business, who witnessed Gore describing success as finding opportunities and acting on them.
“We all know risks, but nobody really knows opportunities because, for the longest time, mankind’s strategy has been to identify danger and then try to avoid it,” said Gore.
He shared that the decision to leave his corporate job and embark on Discovery was one that was made when he and his partner had no knowledge or preconceived “evidence” of how impactful they would be more than three decades later.
Principles unpacked
Gore said he had been called unrealistic for his belief that the key is finding the discipline to seek out positive stimuli, but he would not be where he is today without leaning into the principle he calls Disciplined Optimism. In the book, he describes how this can be achieved by deliberately and actively reprogramming the human mind’s default setting of trying to identify danger.
His advice is to start chasing what he calls the Pareto Tail. This is simply the idea that the simple day-to-day choices we make seldom have any impact, while the extreme and massive decisions that we rarely make can be life-altering.
The actuary, whose prestigious qualifications and memberships are held across various South African and international bodies, told guests that his life changed when he co-founded Discovery and married his wife. What began as a health insurance service provider has since evolved into a multi-dimensional business with various other offerings, including Vitality and gym memberships.
In the Focused Urgency principle, he dissects how short life actually is, and emphasises the importance of capitalising on what little time one has on Earth by never waiting for the perfect moment.
“But regardless of your background, it is never too late to exercise your sense of urgency and change your life,” he said.
For a more detailed understanding of all four principles and how they can change your life, the book is already available for purchase.
What: The Four Principles: Multiply Your Impact in Life and Leadership
Who: Adrian Gore
Where: Exclusive Books, Take A Lot, Loot and other book retailers
How much: Between R350 and R400, imported hardcover edition for R489
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