Swimming's Mr Motivator

5:06pm Monday 14th August 2006

Olympic gold medallist Adrian Moorhouse is using his triumphs as a swimmer to help motivate and inspire businesses across the country. MARK CASCI reports on how he hopes to play a role in ensuring the 2012 Olympic games in London have enough financial backing to be the greatest of all time.

sors to convince them what an opportunity this is and quantify what the benefits will be."

Work on this latest challenge for Mr Moorhouse has already begun. Although a hugely costly venture, the result of being a major sponsor in the Olympics presents an opportunity to form part of the games' history and creates a legacy for the company.

"Often with corporate sponsorship of sport it just allows a company to help target its brand towards people and it ends up with a few season tickets and scarves being dotted round the office.

"Beyond that they have a major responsibility to share holders to provide a major bottom line return on the investment.

"We need to convince them that the benefits it can bring in staff retention, enhanced performance and profitability will more than offset the investment."

Mr Moorhouse's company have a considerable advantage when it comes to motivating people.

Not only is he, the managing director, a former Olympic champion, but his team comprises several top sports psychologists, including those who worked with England's Ashes-winning team to help inspire their victory.

Mr Moorhouse named his company after the lane he was allocated at the Seoul Olympics. The fourth lane is allocated to the athlete who swims fastest in the heats and is the one most likely to produce a winner - something he considered an appropriate metaphor for what he wanted to achieve.

Based in Maidenhead, Berkshire, the company does consultancy work all over the world and has offices in Melbourne and New York City.

Several of the firm's clients are FTSE 100 listed corporations, including Coca-Cola and Sainsbury's.

Lane4 also did work with Safeway prior to its takeover by Bradford supermarket giant Morrisons.

Mr Moorhouse's firm were brought in to improve staff moral prior to the takeover and helped keep like-for-like sales and staff retention on an even keel.

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