Servant leadership is far from new, (Robert K. Greenleaf, 1970 kind of not-new), and serves far more than creative or thought-centric fields.

All it takes to be a servant leader is to want to "manage-up" your staff. That is, a servant leader removes (or helps to remove) obstacles in the path to success.

In an auto manufacturing environment, then (to choose one antithetical to your nod to creative pursuits), all it takes to be a servant leader is to assist your direct reports (let's say, headlight assemblers) to become headlight line managers, or to move up to something more complex and job-stable, like shift supervisors, quality control inspectors, and the like.

Serving those people in your organization means giving them access to the training, resources, and mentorship to thrive and move ahead as they choose.

Servant leadership is not "giving away some amount of formal authority," as you say - it is working to ensure your team performs at the highest level, just as you would want for yourself, and enabling them to do so.