Stephen Collins

Atheist, Connector, Designer, Environmentalist, Foodie, Idea generator, Parent

I am a designer on sabbatical, having moved from the city to the Australian bush during (but not because of) COVID. Call me "a little bit retired" from design, but deeply engaged in running a bed and breakfast here in the bush and building my knowledge of the remote and endangered environment I now live in. I care deeply about things like protecting and enhancing the environment, design ethics, leadership, intentional culture, representation and equity (recognising I'm one of way too many middle-class, educated, middle-aged, white dudes in design), the big picture, and building smarter organisations in every sector. I'm a fan of the outdoors and enjoy hiking, fishing, archery, and any place where water meets mountains. I'm a keen gamer with a strong preference for roleplaying and 3rd-person games. I'm known to many as “trib”. Feel free to use it. Politically and socially, I'm a humanist and progressive and use the pronouns he/him/his.

Let's change the way we look at complex problems to focus on context, not preconception; it's placing problems in a nuanced framework that's the key.

Leadership isn't about the org chart. The most empathetic and visionary leaders are yet to emerge, or hidden within communities and organisations ready to emerge when conditions create them. Our organisations need to provide people with interesting and meaningful work, a place where employees can enjoy what they do, adopt a culture and philosophy that is humane and defines work as having meaning. Most importantly leaders must lead their organisations and communities on a journey to something better rather than just putting ducks in a row.

Agriculture, Conservation, Design Thinking, Land management, Rewilding, Service Design

An early TED-nerd, I began my TED journey in 2009, and founded one of Australia's first TEDx events - TEDxCanberra - which I ran until 2016. Through TED, I've made lifelong friends around the world.

Archery