Beyond the Message: Mariel Huerta on the Leadership Skills Behind Executive Communications

One of the things I love about my role is that no two days are the same.

I help shape how our CEO communicates with employees, industry leaders, the media, policymakers, and other stakeholders. That might mean preparing remarks, developing messaging around a company priority, supporting employee engagement, or helping communicate through a difficult issue.

I also get a front-row seat to many different parts of the business, which is incredibly valuable. The challenge is that I'm working with people across the organization who have very different priorities and ways of thinking. Much of what I accomplish depends on building relationships and influencing people who don't report to me.

That requires curiosity, empathy, and a lot of listening. Probably more listening than talking, which isn't always easy for someone in communications.

Earlier in my career, I worked mainly with other communications professionals. We often approached challenges in similar ways.

Now, I work with engineers, operations teams, finance, legal, regulatory, HR, and many other groups. Everyone brings a different perspective.

An engineer, a lawyer, and a communicator may look at the same issue and focus on completely different things. I've learned that I need to understand those perspectives before I can help bring everyone together.

It's made me a better communicator because I have to adapt how I work with different people. And it's reinforced how important trust and strong relationships are when you're trying to influence outcomes without formal authority.

I wanted to invest in myself as a leader.

As my role evolved, I was working with more teams, building consensus, and influencing decisions without necessarily having formal authority. I wanted practical tools to help me do that more effectively.

I also needed something that would fit around my professional and personal responsibilities. The online format gave me that flexibility. It turned out to be a good fit because I could work through the material over several weeks and connect what I was learning to situations happening at work.
 

The self-awareness and leadership styles modules were probably the most valuable for me. In communications, we spend so much time thinking about other people. Who are we trying to reach? What matters to them? How do we make sure a message connects?

The program encouraged me to ask some of those same questions about myself. Learning about frameworks like MBTI helped me understand why I naturally approach certain situations the way I do and why someone else might approach them completely differently.

There were definitely a few moments when I thought, "Well, that explains a lot." It was also refreshing to study leadership itself rather than just how leadership is communicated. We explored the decision-making, self-awareness, trust, and relationships behind what people see and hear.

It made me reflect on my strengths, my blind spots, and the kind of leader I want to be.

Yes, especially in how intentional I am about seeking other perspectives.

In CEO communications, even a small detail can change how a message is received. Sometimes a single word makes a difference. Understanding my own tendencies has helped me recognize when I need to question an assumption or ask someone else how they see an issue before finalizing a message.

I'm also more aware of how differently people across the organization think and communicate. Something that makes perfect sense to one team may land very differently with another.

I feel better equipped to bring those perspectives together, anticipate how different audiences might respond, and help make sure our communications connect the way we intend.

Definitely. I had some questions going in.

When people think about online learning, they often imagine sitting alone watching videos. I wondered how much interaction there would really be. The discussion forums turned out to be one of my favorite parts of the program.

People were genuinely engaged. They shared how they approached challenges, offered thoughtful feedback, and brought perspectives I wouldn't necessarily have encountered in my day-to-day work.

Some of my peers came from fields where they approached problems through data, operations, or process. I come from communications, so I naturally tend to think about people and relationships first. It was a reminder that there isn't just one way to be an effective leader.

The flexibility also mattered. My schedule changes constantly, and I could engage with the material when it worked for me. Because the program took place over several weeks, I had time to reflect on what I was learning and connect it to my work.

I was struck by how people with completely different experiences could face such similar leadership challenges.

The conversations pushed me to question some of my assumptions. They also gave me new ways to think about problems.

What I appreciated was that the learning didn't stop with the course content. The faculty insights were valuable, but so were the discussions and feedback from other participants. Those conversations often stayed with me long after a module ended.

I came away with a broader understanding of what effective leadership can look like and a greater appreciation for approaches that differ from my own.

Arrive well-rested, know what you want to learn, and keep an open mind.

It is important to have clear objectives, but you should also be willing to question your assumptions. Some of the most valuable learning may come from being challenged or discovering something you did not expect.