Service as Leadership: Power in Clearing the Path
By Jimmy Swinder
On a film set, everyone looks up the chain for answers. Who’s in charge? Who’s calling the shots? Who has the authority? The assumption is always the same: leadership equals control. But the longer you spend around real professionals, the clearer the truth becomes.
The strongest leaders aren’t the ones flexing authority. They’re the ones serving.
Leadership Isn’t About You
Bad leaders make everything about themselves. They want to be seen, they want to be heard, they want to remind you that they’re the boss. That kind of leadership is heavy; it clogs the work, drains energy, and creates fear instead of flow.
The best leaders flip the script. They don’t put themselves at the center. They put the team there. Their job is to remove obstacles, not add them. Their authority doesn’t come from titles or volume. It comes from how much easier they make it for others to succeed.
Service in Action
Service doesn’t sound glamorous, but it looks powerful. It’s the coordinator who stays late making sure tomorrow’s call sheet is flawless so the crew isn’t scrambling. It’s the department head who takes the blame when things go wrong and shares the credit when they go right. It’s the producer who listens to the quietest PA because the best idea can come from anywhere.
None of this is showy. It doesn’t get headlines. But it builds trust. And trust is the real currency of leadership.
Authority Without Ego
Ego-driven leadership is brittle. It cracks under pressure. Service-driven leadership is flexible. It bends, it absorbs, it adapts. That’s why it lasts.
I’ve seen crews rally behind leaders who never raised their voices, never demanded recognition, never made it about themselves. Why? Because everyone knew those leaders were there for the team, not for their own ego. Authority rooted in service is stronger than authority rooted in control.
How Service Shapes Culture
Leadership isn’t just about decisions; it’s about culture. A service-first leader creates a culture where people feel safe to do their best work. Mistakes become opportunities instead of career-killers. Ideas get shared instead of buried. Initiative spreads because people know they’re supported.
On the flip side, leaders who demand loyalty but never give it back create teams that just survive the day. Nobody thrives. Nobody risks. Everyone just gets through it. And that’s not leadership, that’s management in its weakest form.
What Service Looks Like in Practice
Service as leadership isn’t abstract. It shows up in the choices leaders make every day:
Listening before deciding. The people closest to the work usually know what’s really happening.
Taking responsibility. Shielding your team from unnecessary fire so they can focus on the work.
Sharing credit. Letting recognition flow outward instead of hoarding it.
Clearing obstacles. Making sure your people have what they need — tools, time, space.
Staying humble. Remembering it’s not about you.
These aren’t small gestures. They define how a team feels about showing up every day.
Beyond the Set
This principle doesn’t stop at Hollywood’s edge. In every industry, the leaders who last are the ones who serve. In startups, it’s the founder who hustles to make life easier for their team. In medicine, it’s the senior doctor who guides younger ones instead of intimidating them. In sports, it’s the captain who sacrifices glory for the play that helps the team win.
Leadership as service is universal. It’s not tied to one profession. It’s tied to people.
Conclusion
Service isn’t weakness. It’s strength turned outward. It’s authority without ego, power without noise. It’s the kind of leadership that clears the path so others can shine.
The loudest leaders may get attention, but the service-driven ones build legacies. They earn trust that outlasts titles. They leave behind teams that are stronger, tighter, and more resilient because of how they led.
That’s the paradox of leadership. The more you make it about others, the stronger your own impact becomes.
👉 This article is part of a three-piece series on leadership lessons from behind the scenes.
– Read Part 1: Leadership as Stillness
– Read Part 3: Action Without Attachment
