Ian McKeown: Why Composure Is the Ultimate Superpower

If your team wins, who gets the credit… and what does your answer say about the culture you're building? ​​Ian McKeown has spent more than two decades at the cutting edge of elite sport… from the AFL to the NHL's Philadelphia Flyers, and back to Australia as General Manager of Performance at the Adelaide Crows. He holds a PhD in strength and conditioning, has published extensively on ecological dynamics and applied sports science, and is widely regarded as one of the most sophisticated performance architects in global sport. But spend five minutes with him and what strikes you most isn't the credentials… it's the human. In this episode, Ian unpacks what he's learned across three continents about the conditions that allow people - and teams - to truly thrive. He talks about why you can smell a dysfunctional culture the moment you walk in, and why the fanciest facility in the world means nothing if it doesn't feel right. He shares the Seth Godin book he read on the plane from Ireland to Australia that changed the way he thought about his career along with the winning philosophy he's carried ever since. He explains why shared goals, shared ownership and shared success are the only things that actually build something sustainable. He also gets into the butterfly effect of great leadership, the two words he comes back to every single day - kindness and composure - and why he believes the scariest person in any room isn't the loudest one. It's the one who doesn't flinch. Ian's belief in the power of connection, curiosity and genuine human relationships runs through every single minute of this conversation. Learn. Lead. Collaborate. We are privileged to have Ian as part of our Aleda Connect community. Start your leadership journey today. Head here to find out more about our signature, cross industry collaboration program, Aleda Connect. Curated and facilitated by experts, running for 8 fortnightly sessions, Aleda Connect is the learning experience of a life-time. Empowering Leaders is proudly partnered with Victoria University. Find more information about studying at VU here .

You can listen to Ian McKeown: Why Composure Is the Ultimate Superpower online on Radio and Podcast. Open the player on this page to stream the available audio.

Ian McKeown: Why Composure Is the Ultimate Superpower is an episode from Empowering Leaders by Lauren Exton.

This episode is 49:18 long.

This episode was published on Apr 14, 2026.

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