Ian Harvey
on collective intelligence
“As it turns out, no one’s got their sh*t together.”
That’s the title of Ian ‘Harv’ Harvey’s book, and also the truth at the heart of his work. “If you’ve ever felt like you’re the only one struggling to hold it together, then trust me, you’re not!
Ian used to think that everyone else had it all figured out, and that he was the only one who seemed not to know what the big plan was. Spoiler alert: no one really knows what’s going on. “Not the guy at the top of the corporate ladder, nor the influencer with millions of followers, nor the checkout operator at your local supermarket, and definitely not me.”
For Ian, real growth, both personal and collective, happens when we own our imperfections and work together authentically. He wrote this book for anyone who needs to know that we’re all just winging it: “Anyone who’s trying to make some sense of all the bullshit, and anyone who’s ready to have a more honest conversation about what it means to live, to lead, to grow.”
This belief is what led him to found Collective Intelligence. Today, it brings together people from over 70 industries and backgrounds to challenge themselves, support each other, and evolve together: “When we’re interconnected, we can achieve things that no one’s thought of. And when you bring people together to support each other, they end up growing themselves too.”
The seeds of this idea were planted much earlier. Ian’s professional life began on the rolling hills of Aotearoa, where for 30 years he worked as a sheep, beef, and deer farmer. Farming taught him resilience and community, but it also revealed something missing: effective leadership development. He turned to what he knew: farm discussion groups, where farmers collaborated rather than competed, and supported one another to grow. From this model, Collective Intelligence was born, an experiment in non-competitive business groups that became a transformative way of developing leaders across industries.
Ian’s philosophy draws deeply from nature. He warns of the dangers of monocultures: vast forests of pine planted for efficiency and profit. The trees grow fast, but their wood is weak, their ecosystems fragile. “Nature wants diversity. Living systems are complicated. They thrive off interconnectedness and often off incredibly diverse species. To create different outcomes for the world, we need to look to nature for our business models and our lives, and take a different approach to what ‘success’ means for all of us.”
This is why his book is meant to be “a messy story.” Not a business manual or self-help guide. But an invitation to drop expectations and feel a bit more comfortable about the fact that life throws all kinds of weird sh*t at you: “Remember, you don’t need to do it alone. No one’s got it right, but we’ve got a better chance of figuring it out together.”
What does sustainability look like in his world? Not efficiency at all costs, but resilience. Not sameness, but diversity. Not the polished façade of success, but the messy, authentic work of growing together. Or, as he reflects, a different way of thinking: “It’s time to let go of the old rules, face uncertainties, and grow alongside others in ways we never expected. As it turns out, none of us know exactly what we’re doing. But together, we can build something extraordinary.”
Read Ian Harvey’s full interview in Blooming Sustainability and join him on this unpredictable, exploratory, and thought-provoking journey!
BLOOMING Sustainability Questionnaire
Name: Ian Harvey
Company & Title: Founder of Collective Intelligence
Website & LinkedIn Profile: collectiveintelligence.co.nz ; https://www.linkedin.com/in/ian-harvey-56428522/ https://www.linkedin.com/company/collectiveintelligencenz/
* Guiding Values | Kaupapa
If sustainability were a flower blooming in your life, what would it look like? What nurtures it?
It would be many flowers from many different grasses, clovers and plants, expressing a broad range of biodiversity. They can flower throughout the year nourishing the insects and tiny microorganisms we cannot see.
I’m not big on sustainability as I don’t think Western society have ever actually achieved this. Regenerative practices are the ones I understand more and believe in their outcomes. What nurtures this plant kingdom is mycelium under the ground, and humans are the equivalent above ground. We need to learn to be as effective as mycelium in time.
A quote, personal motto or whakataukī that reflects your vision:
Bias eats our intelligence. A team of curious people will outperform an expert when dealing with complexity.
If you could mentor a rising change-maker in Aotearoa, what advice would you share?
You can achieve very little by yourself, so build a team around you who are different than you and listen when they disagree with your world view. Join a Collective Intelligence Team asap !
* Leading Change | Arataki
A key moment in your journey that shaped your path:
Realizing that the more diverse you can make a team the greater the outcomes.
What’s the main challenge you face in driving sustainability within your sector?
Getting people to understand difference and sometimes conflict is a wonderful catalyst to change.
An area you need more support with:
Measuring impact and telling that story. At Collective Intelligence, our impact is qualitative and compounds. The subtle nature of this impact makes story telling difficult.
An Indigenous perspective you admire and want people to be mindful of:
Tiwaiwaka – the plant kingdom hold the answers we seek.
Your best approach for engaging stakeholders in meaningful dialogue about ESG:
I don’t know if I have one.
What do you think is Aotearoa’s superpower in creating a sustainable future?
We are small and need to utilize the two degrees of separation more.
* Surfing the Green Wave | Kakariki
Books, podcasts, courses or other resources that profoundly shaped your approach to sustainability:
Attending a course on regenerative agriculture with Jules Matthews; All Matthew Syed and Adam Grant books.
Events in Aotearoa or globally that you think are must-attend:
Nothing is a must attend – take your time – what takes your fancy and go with that.
A sustainable initiative or project in Aotearoa that deserves more attention:
Tiwaiwaka
If your work could plant one seed of change for the future, what would it be?
Use the power of Collective Intelligence.
The leader(s) you endorse for a future edition of Blooming Sustainability:
Maria King
Jules Matthews
* One actionable takeaway for our readers to make a change today for a brighter tomorrow:
Get off your bum and go make a mistake, then fix it. Then make another and fix that. Rinse and repeat.
