The town of Pine Plains, NY, like many in rural America, has:
An intersection with a traffic light.
A gas station.
A bank branch
A family-owned hardware store
An event hall
A family-owned market
A couple of small inns
A few restaurants
No strip mall,
No big-box anything (not even a Dollar store)
But one thing that makes it special is that it still has an independent pharmacy!
The pharmacist, Nasir Mahmood was also part of the community; it was more than a place of business. it was where he raised his family and now he decided to make it his business to organize the fight COVID-19.
In the absence of governmental action, he managed to marshal a supply of vaccines from the NY State distribution chain, recruited qualified community volunteers to administer the shots, and coordinated the facilities.
Democracy is a system of government in which power ultimately rests with the people, who exercise that power directly or through freely elected representatives.
In a democracy “…power ultimately rests with the people…”
When a member of a group or community assumes temporary leadership to tackle a specific task, their distinctive competence is often the reason they step into that role.
The person may have a unique skill, knowledge, or experience particularly suited to the task.
Distinctive competence earns respect and legitimacy in the moment. Others naturally defer to someone who clearly knows what they’re doing, even if they aren’t the formal leader.
Leadership here is fluid and functional rather than hierarchical. It’s not about position but about contribution. The competent individual leads because they are recognized by others as the best equipped to handle the situation, not because of title or rank.
The group allows this temporary leadership because they trust that member’s competence will benefit the whole. The authority is temporary, but it’s vital for group effectiveness.
Followership is often as important as leadership. The rest of the group needs to be able to trust the new leader, accept his leadership, and not be envious and thus competitive.
This story is an example where, in the absence of government, the people exercised power directly.
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