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They met on Boston Common - two men with little in common. One a well-heeled, high-powered attorney, the other a street-schooled, often ignored homeless person.

Rob slept on a sidewalk. Peter had a swank condo in the Back Bay. But every morning they would cross paths here in the park and over the course of several months, actually became good friends, reports CBS News correspondent Steve Hartman.

How did that happen? Such contrasting men, living such disparate lives. You’d think after the weather and box scores they’d run out of things to talk about. And indeed, they did run out.

“So I gave Robert a copy of a book I really loved called ‘Water for Elephants’ and we would talk about that,” Peter said.

Discussing the book became their way of connecting, and a friendship was born.

“And then one day I asked him, ‘What’d you do with the book?’ and he said, ‘I gave it to a fellow over there,” Peter said.

“I knew there were a lot of people who read,” Rob said.

“So it occurred to us that there was an interest out here that could draw people together,” Peter said.

“You’d be surprised by how many people actually read,” Rob said.

About a year ago, Peter and Rob started the Homeless Book Club. The week CBS News visited, the group was dissecting a group of short stories by O’Henry. They meet every Tuesday in a church conference room. Peter buys the books. In the beginning he offered to bring in lunch too, but the members said, “No thanks.” They wanted this to be about more than just another free lunch.

“For me it’s a place to go and escape,” said Donald, a member.

“And to question things,” said Betsey, another member.

“Yeah, I feel more sophisticated,” said Jamie, a member, laughing.

Unlike the others, Jamie, who lives in a roaming house, says he never used to be a reader. His addictions were the priority.

“I picked up the first book and started reading it and I couldn’t put it down,” Jamie said.

Addicted still, only now, to literature.

“If I keep reading, and keeping my mind occupied, I’m less likely to hurt myself in life,” Jamie said.

Testimonials like that are now inspiring other people in other cities, even other countries, to start putting together their own homeless book clubs.

And as for the homeless man who started it all - Rob - turns out, the only reason he couldn’t get subsidized housing was because he had an unresolved moving violation on his record. Fortunately, he knows a good lawyer.

Peter was able to clear up that traffic ticket, which is why tonight Rob is no longer on the streets. He’s housed and working as a church custodian.

Now, a growing group of writers, musicians, visual artists and videographers are turning this Wikipedia-era philosophy into online collaborative art.

Twitter users are banding together to write an opera for London’s Royal Opera House. Bands like ‘My Morning Jacket and Sour’, ‘Out of Japan’, are turning to fans to help film their music videos. Programmers are pulling quotes from online social networks to make automated poems.

More than 50,000 animators are divvying up work on an upcoming animated film called “Live Music,” and amateur videographers are re-filming “Star Wars” in 15-second bites.

This crowd-sourced creativity online is putting a new twist on traditional ideas of artistic ownership, online communication and art production.

 “What’s exciting is that it’s being tested out by a lot of people who have access to the technology,” said Mary Jane Jacob, executive director of exhibitions at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. “I think that we’re in a great communal workshop.”

In recent months, the collaborative projects have been showing the professionalism it takes to get noticed amid the clutter of content on the Internet, said Ze Frank, an online personality who orchestrated several early online art projects. Sign up for a CNN art project

Frank said, “People have been making collaborative online art, since the beginning of the Web.” But, much of it wasn’t worth looking at.

Some collaborative books proved to be too much work for even herds of people to tackle. Efforts to create massive drawings with thousands of contributors sometimes ended up looking like random scribbles, for example.

“Even if the [Twitter-written] opera ends up sucking as a performance, the value may have already been played out in the theater of the creation of it,” he said.

Many of the projects aim to hit on universal themes.

“The little elements that aren’t synchronized” in the group art projects remind people that our differences are what make us interesting,” said Matt Maloney, associate dean of the school of film and digital media at the Savannah College of Art and Design, referring to this music video, which features fans of the Japanese band Sour.

Collaborative online art

In B Flat: Create your own music with the help of 20 YouTube musicians Star Wars Uncut: Help re-film “Star Wars” in 15-second clips.

Sour: The music video for this Japanese band’s song “Hibi no neiro” is composed of fan clips.

Twitter opera: The Royal Opera House of London is letting Twitter users write an opera that is scheduled to be performed in September.

Longest Poem in the World: The site makes a poem out of Twitter posts that rhyme.

Eternal Moonwalk: This Michael Jackson tribute site stitches together moon walking videos from fans, “The backgrounds change, the people move differently, the quality and temperature of the photography varies from component to component,” he said. “If that phenomenon didn’t exist, if we were all the same and if we were all uniform, this type of collaboration would not be powerful.”

Jacob, of the Art Institute of Chicago, said, “The projects speak to how people learn to communicate and to be heard in these hyper-connected, digital times.”

“It lets you … meet other people,” she said. “We’re not talking eHarmony, but all these things, they’re interesting and they are of the moment. When people want to use [communication technologies] in a creative way, that’s really exciting.”

 The online art collaborations grow out of a parlor-game tradition called “exquisite corpse,” she said.

 Around 1920, famous surrealist artists gathered to draw portraits in pieces. They folded up large sheets of paper so that each artist could see only the edges of what had already been drawn. The pictures made sense only after the paper was unfolded.

“The online versions of this concept take the idea further because they involve people from all over the world who often know nothing of each other,” she said.

For example, Darren Solomon’s site, inbflat.net, features 20 YouTube videos of musicians, many of whom don’t know each other, playing various melodies in the key of B flat.

“Visitors to the site can play the tunes in any order or combination they choose, meaning that each user in a sense becomes part of the artwork,” Solomon said.

Solomon, who once played bass with Ray Charles and now writes music for TV ads, said the “In B Flat” project shows that “the world can come together and we all speak that [musical] language.”

“Something about it is very hopeful,” he said.

“One key to the project’s success,” he said, is that it takes relatively little effort for musicians to send in Web-quality videos of themselves playing a short melody in a certain key.

“They’re happy to start picking up a video camera and start shooting or they’re happy to pick up an instrument and start playing,” he said.

Solomon finds that idea so compelling that he’s participated in other projects. With his two sons, ages 7 and 11, he shot three of the 15-second clips of the user-generated “Star Wars” that will be stitched together by the site Star Wars Uncut.

In one of the videos, he and the boys act out a scene with puppets. In another, his sons wear hooded sweatshirts and fight with light sabers in a New Jersey tunnel.

In some cases, people don’t even know they’re making contributions to online art.

Andrei Gheorghe, a Web developer in Romania, created the “Longest Poem in the World” by aggregating public Twitter posts and arranging them in rhyming couplets.

“Computers add 10 to 20 lines to the poem each minute,” he said.

Gheorghe said he doesn’t consider his work art. “It was just a random idea that popped up and I played with it. And it is what it is,” he said.

Art professors said deciding what is and isn’t art is a complicated process.

In some ways, these collaborative projects are fine art, they said. In other ways they’re like games or means of communication.

Like all good art, these projects are trying to “stand convention on its ear,” said Maloney, from the Savannah College of Art and Design.

“That’s going to keep happening,” he said. “So, as soon as, we finally nail this down you’ll have another group of talented artists that are going to say, ‘Well, I’m going to do something completely different.”

LEADERSHIP IS NOTHING BUT MYTH.

Lord Krishna Kids

KRISHNA AS A CEO OF THE WORLD ORGANIZATION:

In current corporate world, Krishna’s leadership is a most fascinating  and useful leadership. He had  demonstrated   leadership of very high quality, which had made him example ray leader, that’s why he is followed by millions of disciple still today, in his absence.

SETTING ORGANIZATIONAL CULTURE:

In childhood, he used to play more with young girls, in India; they all were called as GOPIS. As the village Gokul and Mathura are on the banks of the river, most of the girls used to swim in river Jamuna. They kept their clothes on the banks of the river. Krishna was always found of playing different games with his friends near river bank. He used to secretly lift up their clothes and hid on the tree tops. Krishna did not hand over clothes until Gopis pleaded to him. Finally, he used to hand over those clothes on his terms and conditions. He wants to deliver a message to all the young girls that be good with culture of your family and nation. Do not exceed the limits in the public places, you must behave properly.

He has acted oppositely to the above act. In gambling, the Pandavas have lost their wife Draupadi to Kauravas. They were in very awkward position as the Kauravas after winning Draupadi, decided to remove her clothes in the court assembly. Draupadi was in desperate position as nobody came to her rescue. Then, she prayed to Lord Krishna wholeheartedly. By hearing his devotee’s heart breaking pleads, Krishna appeared virtually and supported her. Dushashan, the second of Kauravas, was pulling away clothes from Draupadi but Krishna virtually supplied the bales of clothes continuously such that Dushashan got tired and fell on the ground. Thus, in this way, Krishna saved the character of a woman. He always showed a model character by his behaviour.
At one instance, you will find Krishna is pulling away clothes and on the other place you see, he provided clothes and saved the character of a woman. This displays his dual character of love and protection.

Relationship Management:

Relationship management is very much effectively demonstrated by Krishna. His friend, Sudama belonged to very poor family. Both were studying together in Gurukal during childhood. After their studies, they have parted and led their own lives, Krishna as a King of Dwarika and Sudama as a poor Brahmin. After few years, Sudama decided to see his friend. Sudama went to see him personally in the city Dwarika were Krishna was residing and ruling as a king. When he got the message that Sudama has come, he got up and ran barefooted to welcome him from the corridor. Sudama was very poor and so could not carry anything as gift to his friend but Krishna insisted for Pauva (flaked rice), which he brought and was hesitant to give by seeing the riches of Krishna. They used to share this Pauva during school days. Both lived together and shared together whatever they used to get during school days.

Krishna became a king but never demonstrated Ego, Status, Position and Power and importance of material world in the relationship. He demonstrated real meaning of friendship. That’s all. He had less relation with what he had. It had more concern with what he was. He had shown excellent relationship management.

Decision Making Power:

Karna was a strong competitor and fighter. He was almost divine. He was blessed by God Surya. Krishna knew all these. So, it was very difficult to kill him in war. In war, Karna’s wheels of Rath (chariot) were broken and stuck into muddy soil. Rath was not in the position to move any side. Karna had to come down from Rath and pull out the wheels from muddy soil. As Karna was found busy in this activity, Krishna said to Arjun, “Fire and kill him.” Arjun said, “No we cannot.” But Krishna pushed and ordered him to fire and kill him, as everything is fair in war. Winning is everything.

Strategy Planner:

He is living with vision and can see future consequences. According to that he takes decisions and plan out new working methodology.

Gandhari was the mother of Duryodhana. Gandhari had closed her eyes for years with the belt as she had taken a vow. In Mahabharata when Duryodhana was about to lose the war, Gandhari decided to bless her son Duryodhana by removing belt from her eyes as she was a pious lady. She asked her son to be present at the first phase of the day without any clothes as she can see him and bless him when she removes the belt from her eyes. She wanted to bless her son with the divine power, which she had got due to her vow. Thus, she called her son without clothes.

As his mother called him, Duryodhana was going for the same in the morning. Krishna came to know about this as he was a visionary; he thought that if Duryodhana, being naked, went to his mother then he would be blessed with divine power and it would be difficult to defeat him in war. Hence, Krishna came across Duryodhana and said, “You are going naked in front of your mother. She is a lady and will you go naked in front of her. It will look so bad and shameful.” Duryodhana agreed with Krishna and went to see his mother by putting some leaves around his waist. When Gandhari found him with some covered area, she said that the part of his body, which was covered with leaves, is now not protected. She said, “My full sight on your complete body was essential for divine blessings but you came with some covered part.”

Later in the war Krishna and his team defeated Duryodhana by attacking on the same covered part and won. Krishna could see what will happen. Leaders are visionary. According to the situation, they design strategy, move forward, and win. They defeat competitors.

Before, the final war between Kauravas and Pandavas, Krishna motivated Arjuna to fight out, as he was a number one fighter of the Pandava’s team. Arjuna became weaker and sentimental. Krishna showed him his strength and his potentiality, and his hidden energy. Krishna boosted his actual power, capacity and capability. Strength is life and weakness is death. Unleashing your potentiality and performing is the true spirit.

Control over EQ AND SQ:

Krishna was born to Devki. But, he was brought up and grown under the motherhood of Yashoda. He never forgot her in his life and he always showed loyalty and commitment, and respect to her mother, Yashoda. Leaders are always loyal to people and organization.

Krishna was playing with his friends on the bank of river Jamuna. While playing with the ball, it went deep into the river. Krishna was forced to bring out the ball from the river. In fact, in the river, a large cobra was living, which could kill anybody with its poison. Krishna jumped into the river and fought with the cobra, as cobra had five faces……Krishna took control over him through riding on its five faces and he brought the ball out of the river. Leaders have control over their five senses. Krishna demonstrated control of senses. Your emotions and sentiments drive you other ways from the main goal. Leaders always have total control of their senses.

Situational Leadership:

While fighting with King Jarasangh. Krishna came to know that complete village is covered by the enemies and it is very difficult to fight with less weapons and less team members. He decided to quit from the village overnight. He had not committed fight and war with enemies. Next day, morning, it was found that Krishna had run away, last night with his team mates. He was declared RANCHOD.”

After few years, he asked Arjuna to fight out. He insisted Arjuna to fight against Duryodhana and his soldiers at any cost for his rights and justice. Arjuna almost lost the battle before, but Krishna proceeded and made up Arjuna’s mind and pushed him mentally and physically to fight against his gurus and senior family members.

State of Mind and Inside Clarity:

In childhood, one day, he has to cross river Jamuna along with his friends. He found that river was over flowing and it was also necessary to cross the river. He prayed to river saying, “If you find that I have strong character and I follow Brahamacharya by mind, heart and body. Please allow a passage to cross the river to reach the other side. River Jamuna allowed him to cross the river.

Later on, in his young age, he got married to 1600 women and was called husband of 1600 queens. He married to those women and saved their lives. He had honoured those ladies. He gave them title of wives.

Tolerance:

Shishupal has insulted Pandavas and Krishna for number of times, but he did not utter a word, even though he requested Shishupal for understanding the time and grant the appeal. Shishupal abused him and Pandavas repeatedly up to 99 times. As the event 99 of tolerance was over, he showed him his strength and power. Leaders have enough amounts of tolerance and capacity for handling pressure. They can keep themselves cool up to the last moment. Professionals have to keep their mind calm and cool and inside fire to lead themselves…as there is a goal and deadline. To meet challenges under high pressure you have to develop tolerance in the team.

Corporate Social Responsibility:

One of the kings …….had 1600 women kept in his palace. As he was a king and power centric leadership, no one can raise voice against him …during ruling time.

He led against anti culture and stand in favour of woman rights. He fought against him publicly and defeated him. He made all the 1600 women free from prison…But women asked him… “Now who will accept us as their wives or daughters…as we have stayed with that person since a long time who will trust us.”…Krishna said, “Do not worry…today onwards I declare myself as your husband. Live with pride in the society.” Standing for social responsibility, demonstrating mental standards and height of the character, he was perfect leader. He was a husband of 1600 queens and on the other side he is following the highest level of character.

Personal Social Responsibility:

He knows he is going to die after few years. How can he benefit community at large for the better lives? He prescribed the life book called “THE GEETA”. The book is well known for the life management just in 17 chapters and mantras. People can read in his absence and find out ideal way of leaving a mark to achieve their mission of life.

Krishna was born to Devki. But, he was brought up and grown under the motherhood of Yashoda. He never forgot her in his life and he always showed loyalty and commitment, and respect to her mother, Yashoda. Leaders are loyal to people and organization. You always find egolessness, simplicity, cleanliness, and purity in the relationship. He always carries high value for family.

Visionary Leadership:

He almost demonstrates visionary leadership. He sees and watches the actions of his competitors and enemies and then designs his course of actions. He also demonstrates how one can win over his competitors by his strategies and communication.

Excellent Negotiator His ability to communicate and negotiate was of par excellence level. He communicated to seniors ( Drona, Dhuthrastra and Bhisma) and he dealt with Kansa, Jarasangh, Shishupal. He always tried his level best to stand in favour of fairness, integrity and dharma (Religious by action). But, when anybody crossed the limits, he showed the size and won over in the deal. Finally, result was counted. Krishna is an individual who had a winning habit.

Different Strokes – Different Folks

He led from the front and walk on talk. He handled different people with different styles. When he was in social front, you will find him different. When he was in warrior front, he was different. When he was in family relationship, his qualities were different. He handled worst people (Kansa, Shishupal, Duryodhan) very rudely and ruthlessly. When he was with his friend Sudama, you would find him completely different and when you find him with Radha (love relationship), we find him different.

Team Leader Krishna knows the dream of life is equal to dream of a team. He built up, developed, and operated those teams very well. He is also aware of his potentials and team potential. He is also able to distinguish individual leadership and team leadership. Every night during Mahabharata war he sat with his team and decided course of action looking to the strength of the individuals, simultaneously keeping in mind …importance of strategy.

PROFIT AND LOSS:

Krishna is also watching balance sheet. What he has lost and what he has gained in life. He stands in the favour of Truth, Trust, Integrity, Corporate social responsibility and Religion.

He lost his own team players, friends, and he was ended very badly in the life by a common Shikari near Prabhas Patan. A man, who had won over thousands in the life, finally, ended by a common person. He is highly worried before the end of his life…as his own friends and disciples were free, were not following code of conduct, and became physical and monetary successful people, which he had always denied in the life. He found unhappy at the end of the life by his own people, CEOs are also found frustrated and upset at the end of the life. They have created an empire or house, finally, at the end of the career, they found it loosing originality, identity and values, for which he had passed away his life.

CEOs can learn a lot of qualities on the day of his birthday….Team management, Situational leadership, different strokes – different folks, EQ and SQ management, Relationship management, Integrity and trust, Values and culture, Handling pressure and visionary leadership, strategy and planning etc… Quality can be learnt from this most appealing leader of INDIAN WISDOM AND RELIGION.

- http://www.drshaileshthaker.co.in - please send your views and feedback on clo@trainingguru.org

Barcelona played beautiful game last year, 2008. They are smart performers. Expectation of this season’s performance is very high which triggered them to tighten up. They have become very conscious and found proactive in the practice.

Coach Pep Guardiola said, “The team is a joy, and if we can we’ll do some fine tuning. I had to have 16 to 17 reliable players to rotate. People cannot guess our line-up.”

Our forward line scored 95 goals in 49 games in all competitions last season. This season we have man for the job.

Past records and achievements always raise standard of performance. Team has to handle that pressure and team has to set their standards up to that expectation. Such, expectations build pressure and force the team too tight up the arms.

TEAM HAS TO HANDLE PRESSURE AND MEET THE EXPECTATIONS.

Dr. Manmohan Singh and leadership

Read in the research report carried out by NGO across the country on the sample of 2200 people of all ages, community professions and that Indian Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh likeability factor amongst Indians is nearly 90%. Recently, last issue of TIME magazine has appreciated leadership of Dr. Manmohan Singh for transforming lives of millions of people of India. He had honoured office of Finance minister in the past and he was also a member of World Bank committee for the years.

Dr. Singh possesses Master’s of Harvard Business School of the year 1952. ‘Nation First’ formula has made him leader of the people.

Today, his policies and principles make him the most popular leader among the people around the globe. People trust him, honour him and support him for his GDP dream of the year 2009. According to him India will be the first country to come out from the slow down.

Leadership is bridging people, loving people, caring people.