In leadership, we often focus on confidence as the cornerstone of success. But what if I told you that one of history’s most effective leaders executed a flawless marketing and influence campaign while openly expressing doubt about her chances of success?

Long before PowerPoint presentations and social media campaigns, Queen Esther demonstrated marketing genius that modern executives would envy. Her story provides a master class in strategic influence during crisis – all while acknowledging her own uncertainty.

The Perfect Strategic Sequence

I love the story of Esther for so many reasons. One thing that strikes me most about Esther’s approach is, despite existential threat to her and her people, she maintained an incredibly disciplined approach:

1. Research phase: She gathered intelligence about the king’s preferences and court protocols through her cousin Mordecai.
2. Preparation: She underwent a full year of beauty treatments before her first audience with the king – understanding the importance of preparing for the sales meeting. (Ok, “sales meeting” is a bit of a stretch, but she did make an ask in course of their, um, encounter.)
3. Audience identification: She knew exactly who held the power to change the outcome.
4. Message crafting: She clearly understood the problem. But rather than immediately asking for what she wanted, she created a series of experiences that helped make it easier her desired outcome.
5. Strategic timing: Again, although under immense pressure, she didn’t rush her request but created multiple touchpoints, allowing relationships to develop.

Leading Through Vulnerability

“If I perish, I perish” might be one of the most honest acknowledgments of leadership reality I’ve ever encountered. And one of the most courageous. Esther didn’t deny her fear; she incorporated it into her strategy.

This is what I find remarkable about effective leaders today. They don’t pretend to have all the answers. They don’t hide their doubts. Instead, they acknowledge uncertainty while still moving forward with deliberate action.

The Three-Banquet Strategy

Esther’s approach to influence is particularly brilliant. Instead of making her request immediately, she:

1. Created exclusivity (inviting only the king and Haman)
2. Built anticipation (delaying her request)
3. Established social debt through reciprocity (the king enjoyed her hospitality multiple times)

By the time she made her actual request, she had created the perfect psychological environment for acceptance.

Applications for Modern Esthers

In today’s tumultuous environment, it’s hard to deal with the pressures of today, let alone know whether we’ll be able to exist tomorrow. Some key lessons leaders can learn from Esther’s example are:

• Taking time for strategic planning even during crisis – stepping back and thinking helps leaders and their teams makes decisions that protect the organization rather than simply adding to the chaos
• Building relationships before making significant requests – the process of genuinely building relationships helps you gain insights into the “dialect” of the person you want to make the request of
• Understanding the power of timing in communication – fire hosing people with messaging and requests can often lead to opposition rather than agreement
• Creating experiences, not just delivering messages – we may not want to have catered dinners but we can still use words and questions to help build experiences for the people who might be able to grant us our request
• Acknowledging doubt while still taking decisive action – Esther is an amazingly courageous leader who made decisive steps forward even while moving through doubt and a lack of confidence

The Power of Doubt

Perhaps the most powerful lesson from Esther is this: acknowledging doubt doesn’t diminish leadership effectiveness – it enhances it.

When we express uncertainty while still taking action, we model authentic leadership. We show that courage isn’t the absence of fear but acting despite it. We demonstrate that leadership isn’t about having all the answers but about taking responsibility for finding solutions.

As I work with executives across sectors, I find that this “doubt-action paradox” is often what separates truly transformative leaders from merely competent ones. And what makes them more authentic than the leaders who don’t experience doubt or are afraid doubt disqualifies them from leading. Leaders trying to hide doubt often act in a bluster of chaotic pronouncements that leave devastation in their path.

What is makes the difference between being crippled by your self-doubt and being aware of your own doubt but moving forward anyway? Perhaps it’s a coach. Like a leadership coach, Mordechai didn’t do the work Esther did. But asked questions and provided a sounding board that helped Esther as she courageously took action.

What about you? Where today can you be a bit more like Esther? Because you may be in your position “for such a time as this.”