In the AV and live events world, the people who actually move the needle are not always the ones with the biggest titles. Here’s why that matters.

In the AV and live events industry, we have many titles. And for good reason. On a large production, clear roles matter. Everyone needs to know who's calling the show, who's on comms, and who's responsible for the load-in.

But somewhere along the way, we started confusing those titles with leadership itself. And that's a problem.

That's a simple sentence, but it has big implications for how we show up on every gig, from a corporate general session to a touring festival. If you believe leadership only belongs to the person at the top of the call sheet, you're leaving an enormous amount of potential on the table. Yours, and your crew's.

The reality is that leadership happens constantly on every show floor, in every truck bay, and at every front-of-house position. Often, with no one formally in charge.

Think about the last tough load-in you were part of. Maybe the dock was backed up, the venue had a surprise floor change, or a key piece of gear went down at noon on show day. Who steadied the crew? Who kept the energy from curdling into panic?

Chances are, it wasn't always the person with the biggest title in the

room.

It was the tech who kept their head down and kept working, signaling to everyone else that it was going to be okay. It was the PM who sent one clear, calm update to the client instead of five panicked ones. It was the person who made a mistake, owned it immediately, and fixed it. No drama, no excuses.

Here's the thing most people in this industry don't realize: you are already influencing the people around you. Every single day on every single show.

Your preparation sets the standard.

Your attitude sets the tone.

Your behavior shapes culture.

When you show up organized, the crew around you raises its game. When you stay calm under pressure, it gives others permission to do the same. When you cut corners, it signals that cutting corners is acceptable. There's no neutral. You are always either lifting the standard or lowering it.

You don't need to wait for a promotion to start leading. You don't need a headset or a title on the call sheet. You need a decision. A conscious choice to apply your influence intentionally.

What would it look like if you decided, on your next gig, to be the person who steadies the room? The one who communicates clearly. Who owns mistakes instead of deflecting them? Who sets a standard of preparation that makes the whole crew better?

That's leadership. And it's available to every single person reading this, right now, right where you are.

“The moment you realize your influence is already shaping the people around you, the only question left is whether you’re doing it on purpose.”