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As It Turns Out – No One’s Got Their Shit Together
Have you ever observed someone you admire, and thought, “Wouldn’t it be nice to be like them and have my shit together too”? That’s something Harv often reflected on in his early years, navigating a plethora of challenges coming from many different angles.
Here’s the thing—those people you admire are highly likely to be still working on ‘getting their shit together’. However, a few have chosen a unique method of personal and professional development using the Collective Intelligence methodology. They do this with like-hearted others to guide them on their pathway to becoming their true selves while unlocking their potential. And they’re still on their journey.
In a world where we are increasingly disconnected and fed information that reinforces our existing views, Collective Intelligence provides that level of connection, challenge, safety and care that nurtures curiosity and can help you on your journey.
Ian ‘Harv’ Harvey—a former sheep, beef and deer farmer—chose a different path in his late 40s to satisfy an itch that just wouldn’t go away. He established Collective Intelligence, a diverse, human ecosystem that takes inspiration from Mother Nature to grow more emotionally intelligent leaders. As Harv says, “The gift of not being an expert is that it leaves so much room to be curious about what the fuck is actually going on, and how we best respond to that”.
In reading 'As It Turns Out – No One's Got Their Shit Together', you’ll be inspired to start your own journey with Harv through his earthy, sometimes humorous, sometimes sad, but always true and engaging stories, of his own journey of ‘getting his shit together’. And he’s still not there!
Here’s the thing—those people you admire are highly likely to be still working on ‘getting their shit together’. However, a few have chosen a unique method of personal and professional development using the Collective Intelligence methodology. They do this with like-hearted others to guide them on their pathway to becoming their true selves while unlocking their potential. And they’re still on their journey.
In a world where we are increasingly disconnected and fed information that reinforces our existing views, Collective Intelligence provides that level of connection, challenge, safety and care that nurtures curiosity and can help you on your journey.
Ian ‘Harv’ Harvey—a former sheep, beef and deer farmer—chose a different path in his late 40s to satisfy an itch that just wouldn’t go away. He established Collective Intelligence, a diverse, human ecosystem that takes inspiration from Mother Nature to grow more emotionally intelligent leaders. As Harv says, “The gift of not being an expert is that it leaves so much room to be curious about what the fuck is actually going on, and how we best respond to that”.
In reading 'As It Turns Out – No One's Got Their Shit Together', you’ll be inspired to start your own journey with Harv through his earthy, sometimes humorous, sometimes sad, but always true and engaging stories, of his own journey of ‘getting his shit together’. And he’s still not there!
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Published January 28, 2025
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
March 4, 2025
As author Ian Harvey (Harv) suggests in the chapter on Authenticity, “It takes time to unravel what impact key people in your lives have on your development as it is often subtle and hard to get a grip on.”
To me, this is one of the most powerful impacts of, “As It Turns Out; No-One’s Got Their Shit Together”. The reflective questions at the end of each chapter, got me thinking about all the significant people and events that have impacted my life and importantly, what I learnt from them.
The book starts with Harv around the age of seven, through to today (I think he’s in his 60’s) and seamlessly leads into the development and learnings from Collective Intelligence – a leadership development process that has seen over 1,000 people find their leadership way.
As it says on the back cover, “In a world where we are increasingly disconnected and fed information that reinforces our existing views, Collective Itelligence provides that level of connection, challenge, safety and care that nurtures curiosity and hope and can help you on your journey of getting your shit together”.
It’s a great read, even for those who have no idea of what Collective Intelligence is about.
In terms of connection, I loved it when Harv very occasionally (and this is only used by the best authors) told us the mood he was in at particular times of writing the book, such as, “I’m wrung out writing this. Time for a break now.”
And that’s what you’ll experience in “As It Turns Out” – stories of love, loyalty, conflict, problems, sex and even an infamous murder in the Harvey family that resulted in a Royal Commission for wrongful conviction – a story that lasted seven years and had a major impact on 11 year old Harv.
Turning to the conclusion, I know from personal experience that it’s easy to write a summary, but much harder to make it exciting – as they say, “To leave them wanting more”. What did Harv do? He wrote 10 very short stories – maybe a couple of paras each – summarising the key points being made in the book.
I was reading through these short stories when I got to about number five. This was a former Collective Intelligence member phoning Harv to get his advice on her TED type talk topic she had to make – should she talk about her “Personal Career Journey” or her “Trans-Gender Journey”? Now, ‘Trans’ is a very serious subject, but the dialogue between her and Harv was hilarious, so much so that I was laughing out loud with tears in my eyes. Thinking it was now time for my morning coffee I went for a break, still giggling to myself. I returned to reading the chapter only to find out in the next couple of paras, she died. I now had tears of sorrow.
I’m sure “As It Turns Out, No-one’s Got Their Shit Together” will have a similar impact on you. Read it for reflection, learning, enjoyment.
To me, this is one of the most powerful impacts of, “As It Turns Out; No-One’s Got Their Shit Together”. The reflective questions at the end of each chapter, got me thinking about all the significant people and events that have impacted my life and importantly, what I learnt from them.
The book starts with Harv around the age of seven, through to today (I think he’s in his 60’s) and seamlessly leads into the development and learnings from Collective Intelligence – a leadership development process that has seen over 1,000 people find their leadership way.
As it says on the back cover, “In a world where we are increasingly disconnected and fed information that reinforces our existing views, Collective Itelligence provides that level of connection, challenge, safety and care that nurtures curiosity and hope and can help you on your journey of getting your shit together”.
It’s a great read, even for those who have no idea of what Collective Intelligence is about.
In terms of connection, I loved it when Harv very occasionally (and this is only used by the best authors) told us the mood he was in at particular times of writing the book, such as, “I’m wrung out writing this. Time for a break now.”
And that’s what you’ll experience in “As It Turns Out” – stories of love, loyalty, conflict, problems, sex and even an infamous murder in the Harvey family that resulted in a Royal Commission for wrongful conviction – a story that lasted seven years and had a major impact on 11 year old Harv.
Turning to the conclusion, I know from personal experience that it’s easy to write a summary, but much harder to make it exciting – as they say, “To leave them wanting more”. What did Harv do? He wrote 10 very short stories – maybe a couple of paras each – summarising the key points being made in the book.
I was reading through these short stories when I got to about number five. This was a former Collective Intelligence member phoning Harv to get his advice on her TED type talk topic she had to make – should she talk about her “Personal Career Journey” or her “Trans-Gender Journey”? Now, ‘Trans’ is a very serious subject, but the dialogue between her and Harv was hilarious, so much so that I was laughing out loud with tears in my eyes. Thinking it was now time for my morning coffee I went for a break, still giggling to myself. I returned to reading the chapter only to find out in the next couple of paras, she died. I now had tears of sorrow.
I’m sure “As It Turns Out, No-one’s Got Their Shit Together” will have a similar impact on you. Read it for reflection, learning, enjoyment.
May 19, 2025
This book explores the themes of authenticity, collective intelligence, and personal growth in leadership and teams. At the same time, it’s a down-to-earth autobiography written by a down-to-earth person in down-to-earth language. As such, it stands out from the general business book or memoir. Harv, as the author is usually called, recounts his childhood and upbringing in rural New Zealand. He overcame considerable hardship and family trauma thanks to his resilience, his courage to be authentic, and the support from family members and chance encounters. He goes on to tell the story of his professional career and what he has learned from life and work.
Harv shows how his life experience taught him that growth occurs through embracing uncertainty and working together. From this, Collective Intelligence is derived, a method developed by Harv that harnesses the wisdom of diverse individuals to foster personal and professional growth. This approach emphasizes collaboration and shared learning among team members from various backgrounds. In the author’s words: “Real personal and collective growth happens when we own our imperfections, work together authentically, and challenge ourselves to break free from those old models of success.” The book draws on metaphors and experiences taken from agriculture and nature, as well as poems, song texts, and Maori culture, to illustrate and explain its central concepts. Chapters end with an invitation to the reader to reflect on the stories they have just read and offer encouragement to use these reflections for their benefit.
Collective Intelligence can be an effective method for getting (ineffective) teams to work well together in a way that benefits the satisfaction and growth of its members. Collective intelligence’s emphasis on creating a safe space for vulnerability in a team is, in my view, a key success factor of this approach.
Harv shows how his life experience taught him that growth occurs through embracing uncertainty and working together. From this, Collective Intelligence is derived, a method developed by Harv that harnesses the wisdom of diverse individuals to foster personal and professional growth. This approach emphasizes collaboration and shared learning among team members from various backgrounds. In the author’s words: “Real personal and collective growth happens when we own our imperfections, work together authentically, and challenge ourselves to break free from those old models of success.” The book draws on metaphors and experiences taken from agriculture and nature, as well as poems, song texts, and Maori culture, to illustrate and explain its central concepts. Chapters end with an invitation to the reader to reflect on the stories they have just read and offer encouragement to use these reflections for their benefit.
Collective Intelligence can be an effective method for getting (ineffective) teams to work well together in a way that benefits the satisfaction and growth of its members. Collective intelligence’s emphasis on creating a safe space for vulnerability in a team is, in my view, a key success factor of this approach.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews