Start With A Win - Dr. Alexa Chilcutt: How to Improve Your Executive Presence Instantly

Episode Date: September 3, 2025

In this powerful episode of Start With a Win, Adam Contos is joined by Dr. Alexa Chilcutt - executive presence expert and faculty lead at Johns Hopkins Carey Business School - for an eye-opening conversation about what it really takes to lead with confidence, credibility, and authenticity. From navigating imposter syndrome to mastering the unspoken signals that define how others perceive you, this episode uncovers the often-overlooked elements that can elevate -or quietly undermine - your leadership. If you've ever wondered why some leaders inspire trust and authority the instant they enter a room, this is the episode you can’t afford to miss.Alexa Chilcutt, Ph.D. is a nationally recognized expert in executive presence, team communication, and professional public speaking. She is the Faculty Lead for the Business Communication Certificate at Johns Hopkins Carey Business School and co-leads the Academy for Women and Leadership. In addition to her work at Johns Hopkins, she designs custom corporate training programs and teaches executive education for Texas Christian University and The University of Alabama. A certified Executive Coach, Chilcutt specializes in leadership development for women and technical professionals. She is also the founder of Maestro CE LLC, delivering tailored communication coaching and programs for corporate clients. Previously, she directed The University of Alabama’s Public Speaking Program for over a decade and developed communication curricula for UAB’s Dental School and NSF-funded engineering research programs.00:00 Intro02:51 What is executive/leadership presence? 05:34 If you are not doing this that scares you then you are not taking this…09:08 How to deliver this without being egotistically?  10:44 Professional vs Personal Values  13:35 One of the biggest questions on executive presence?18:10 Action to take - What is your judgement of them as a leader? 22:50 How to own the space?   24:15 Difference between good and great leaders!26:36 Key piece of wisdom!29:12 Grounded? Https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexa-chilcutt-phd/===========================Subscribe and Listen to the Start With a Win Podcast HERE:📱 ===========================YT ➡︎ https://www.youtube.com/@AdamContosCEOApple ➡︎ https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/start-with-a-win/id1438598347Spotify ➡︎ https://open.spotify.com/show/4w1qmb90KZOKoisbwj6cqT===========================Connect with Adam:===========================Website ➡︎ https://adamcontos.com/Facebook  ➡︎ https://facebook.com/AdamContosCEOTwitter  ➡︎ https://twitter.com/AdamContosCEOInstagram  ➡︎ https://instagram.com/adamcontosceo/#adamcontos #startwithawin #leadershipfactory

That is also one of the strategies that we teach in executive presence is how to own the space. How do you walk to the front of the room and own the space? I got the whole pushback about it. It's not fair and people shouldn't judge me and I mean, blah, blah, blah, and I need to be me. Okay, great. And you might be being you in a basement somewhere at work because you're not a front facing person, right? I mean, so the reality is that people are visual. people are visual.

If you were to give one key piece of wisdom to the leaders that are listening to this podcast that they could implement immediately, what would that be? Welcome to Start with a Win, where we unpack leadership, personal growth and development, and how to build a better business. Let's go. How do you command a room? We'll talk about that and executive presence today on Start with a Win. Coming to you from Area 15 Ventures and Start With a Win headquarters, it's Adam Contos with

start with a win. We're diving deep on this topic today with Dr. Alexa Chilcutt. For over a decade, Alexa has been at the forefront of teaching leaders how to master communication and executive presence. As the faculty lead for Johns Hopkins Carey Business School's Executive Education Program and a sought-after executive coach, she has helped countless professionals level up their leadership game and executive presence. If you're ready to sharpen your community, communication skills and lead with impact, you're in for a treat with Dr. Alexa Chilcutt. Alexa, welcome to start with a win. Thank you, Adam.

I'm excited to be here. This is fantastic. I love talking to somebody who gets to coach and instruct leaders about executive presence and really executive education for that matter because there are so many things that we take for granted when it comes to our knowledge and being a leader at the same time. and there aren't that many people giving those things to us. So I'm glad to have you on the show. Welcome. Well, thank you.

And it's my favorite topic to talk about. And I think it's really a hot topic, if you want to say that right now. A lot of people are hungry for that information. They want to take just their presence to that kind of next level and feel more confident. So I'm happy to be here talking about it with you. I totally agree with you. And for the listeners, this is a fun topic for Alexa and I. to talk about because this is what I teach at the Daniels College of Business, what she teaches

at Johns Hopkins at their business school. So you're going to get a couple of different versions of this, maybe exactly the same. But ultimately, we have the same goal here, which is to build leaders and help you overcome that, really the confidence gap and people having the doubt of, is this person really a leader when they walk in the room? So first thing, Alexa, I want to start with is what is executive presence or what is leadership presence mean to you? I truly believe that it's about aligning, engaging, and motivating the people that work with you and for you. And that's really what it boils down to. And how are the many ways that we motivate that audience to follow us, to have buy-in? And so it's all about

just a leader's aura, their authenticity, but also how they move and walk through the world. Do you think we have a gap in this, in this day and age? I mean, it seems like leaders, there's a lot of leaders that hide from the people that they lead instead of being present with them. I mean, what, where do you see gaps, the need for this? You know, I think we see generally, you may agree with me or not, but it's the people who really have it that stand out. And those gaps, as you said, the people that hide, I really talk.

that up to a lot of insecurity around their own leadership and getting out there and being able to communicate with their team in a way that they feel confident in those in those skills that they have and ability to communicate and motivate align and so I think that sometimes why there is that that gap or that space between a leader and their audiences do you do you think that could be fixed I mean there are a lot of people who have that that internal doubt yeah oh my gosh you know the imposter syndrome, if you want to unpack that at all or whatever it might be, but people going, am I going to be found out as not being the right person for this job? What do you think? Well, I think we all have that, right? You said it, imposter syndrome. We know that it was

researched, you know, years ago and called, I think, imposter phenomenon at first and by a therapist, Clance, which was her name. And, but what we know is she looked at people like, you know, Albert Einstein, who was so afraid that he was going to be found out to be, what was the word that he said, basically an imposter, right, that he didn't own or really couldn't take full credit for all of his accomplishments and his talent. And I think that's where we are, is that a lot of times we don't take stock and how we got to where we are and our strengths. And so we're always in that, am I in the right, especially when you've leveled up, especially in that first transition up, you're thinking, okay, I fooled them somehow into thinking that I can do this. But it's the

whole idea of in that leadership, if you're not taking a risk that scares you, then you're not taking a big enough risk, right? And so, but every time we do that, we're having that moment of doubt. And so how do you work through that and step into it? and really bring your full self and embrace new skills that you might need to level up. So I think it all can be taught, but it starts from the inside. So, I mean, when it comes to, it can be taught, but it starts from the inside. Obviously, nobody walks into a role and they're immediately a leader. You know, it takes some credibility.

It takes trust on the behalf of the people that they're leading. Or, you know, if you walk into a room that's new people that have never seen you before and you're a leader, I mean, there's a lot to overcome there for those people to have buy-in into what's coming out of your mouth. So what, I mean, when you sit down with a new leader and you talk and start unpacking, hey, here's what leadership presence means? What are the pillars of the foundation of this that you start talking about with them? A lot of it is about, first of all, embracing their skills, right? Let's just recognize the skills. that you are bringing to the table and really having that value alignment where what are the skills,

what are the strengths, why am I in this position, right? What are the values that are intrinsic to me that I want to bring to my role as a leader? And so it really does start with that inside piece. And then it's about how do we communicate who we are as a leader authentically? Because I'm sure you are on the same page with me. You teach this. We don't want to put on executive presence because then if it's inauthentic, it's very easily found out, right? The moment that you're in a crisis, that facade breaks down. And so starting with that value alignment, your own strengths, taking stock of that, and then moving into how do I communicate? How do I communicate about my vision? How do I communicate about my values. How do I create that trust and rapport with members of teams, understand what

they want, what motivates them? And then it really starts after that kind of inside work and thinking about who your audience is and what you want to convey, then it gets to the tactical strategy kind of part of, all right, what are those communication skills? Just as one aspect. I love that. So I've written down, I mean, I guess the whole walking in the room, piece has a lot to do with competence. You know, you're, and you talked about what you know, why are you in that role. You know, you can't be incompetent and be a leader. Let's face it.

I mean, it's, you're going to, you're going to be found out relatively quickly that you're a charlatan or a snake oil salesman or something like that. When it comes to what you're delivering, you got to, you got to have some knowledge of the space. Like me, I've, I've been enfranchising, but if you asked me to go into, you know, like telecom, or something like that. I know nothing about that. I know people that know about that. But I don't know anything about that. But I can run a business. So, you know, I have competence in running a business, but I might not have competence in an industry or a product set as a leader. But people are going to look at me and go, all right, you know, where do you stand in this? Right. I think when it comes to that,

How do you deliver your competence without looking like an egomaniac? I think, Adam, you brought up something just a moment ago, just recognizing what you do and don't know. And I think that brings a lot of integrity and authenticity to a conversation. Say, I'm here. This is what I know. This is what I think I'm good at. This is what I don't know. But I'm willing to learn, right?

I want to understand the challenges of this organization. I want to understand the challenges of the team. You've been here. I haven't. You know, whatever that is, whether it's you've been in the same organization, but you're now at the next level. And so maybe I haven't been at this level, right? So there is some ambiguity and uncertainty, but embracing that and allowing people to be

part of that conversation starts that idea of trust and building rapport. So, yeah, you don't want to come across as I'm the best and, you know, I'm going to, you know, be everything to everybody because you're not. And that's, that's inauthentic. I love it. But it's a whole lot of pressure on you, too, right? To try to figure all that out on your own. It totally does.

And I love how you just kind of built that trust bridge, very, very, you know, without pressure, I guess. You built it out of curiosity. Here's what I can bring to the table. Please help me understand what your, um, Mixing into this so that we can all be successful together. It seems, I mean, I love that. And then you listed values pretty quick. You know, the values clearly are a huge, either a, you know, bond builder or really something that separates people substantially in this day and age.

How do we as a leader manage our values delivery? I mean, you know, obviously we don't want to turn people off, but at the same time we want to be transparent and build trust with that. them, but we don't want to, you know, virtue signal or something like that either and throw our political beliefs or our religious beliefs on people's faces. But I mean, what, what do you recommend for approaching values-based conversations? Well, and I think it is, you just brought this up, right? Staying in your lane. And stay in your lane. And honestly, Adam, this is one thing. just kind of to go down a rabbit trail really quickly, that I don't respect about people. One of my biggest professional pet peeves is being in a professional setting where people aren't

professional. And to say that they don't stay in their lane, that they're not talking about their values around the work, around the people, around leadership, around the organization values. Those are the values you're talking about. You know, do you have interpersonal integrity? Do you value the mission of the organization? Do you value the team's inputs and feedback? And do you value open dialogue?

I mean, what are those values that you have? And are you enacting those values so that people see you. Okay, I'm not just saying that I value feedback and discussion and then get in a meeting and shut people's ideas down, right? So that's a disconnect. But in my past, my own past work experience, one of the most frustrating organizations that I was in, I was surrounded by people who are constantly bringing up more of their personal values, political, et cetera. and imposing those within the workspace. So, yes, stay in your lane. Stay in your lane.

I love that. Personal values versus professional values. And I think we all, you know, we don't have to agree on personal values sometimes, but I think we all have to agree on professional values because we're sharing the same playing field in the professional space. So that's, I love that statement.

The big question I get a lot about, about executive presence is, can I, you know, look however I want to look, or does appearance matter? What do you think? It's a landmine to go into the same hole. Let's, let's unpack it, though, because, you know, it's like, for instance, you as a professor, you walk into a room of executives, you're teaching EMBAs or MBAs, something like that. And they're like, whoa, this is, this is our professor.

She's a key business leader. She coaches CEOs for crying out loud. And let's say you walk in in, you know, some wrinkled sweats or something like that. You know, your hair's a mess. You look like you just rolled out of bed. Right. Versus walking in well put together like you cared. You know, you took time to care.

Why does that matter to people? Because you look around the room and you're, you know, and frankly, you know, full disclosure here, I've brought this up in some of my classes and people are like, you shouldn't judge me. That's right. That's right. I get it. But nature says that I will judge you. And that is, that is the key to communicate to people that it is, okay, this is, yes, Adam. I have taught executive education. I've taught undergraduates where, I got the whole push, which is why I don't teach undergraduates anymore.

But, I mean, one of the reasons. But I mean, I got the whole pushback about it. It's not fair and people shouldn't judge me and I mean, blah, blah, blah. And I need to be me. Okay, great. And you might be being you in a basement somewhere at work because you're not a front-facing person, right? I mean, so the reality is that people are visual. People are visual.

And what they want to know, what research shows us about appearance, is that it's about looking the part. It's about grooming. It's how put together are you? It's not prescriptive. And I'll tell you what, that's really, that's been the word that I have used or the phrase that I've used with executive education

because I still get some pushback, especially with 30 to 40-year-old individuals. And so I say. We'll call them millennials. Okay, those people, that's fine. Which is great. I mean, they're a major part of the workforce, a major part of the leadership. And fabulous, fabulous talents and all that.

But I think they had a little bit of conflict around that, that concept because they have been so taught to be an individual, right? And there's benefit to that. But anyway, what I've ended up saying is executive presence and a business. appearance is not about being prescriptive. So I'm not going to tell you what to wear. I'm not going to tell you to wear the business suit, et cetera. But what you need to be is somebody who's a strategic thinker. Okay. So think with strategy. If you understand that people are visual and that they're taking in these visual cues about you, yes, their opinions about you are going to be formed hopefully over a long period of time. And they'll be able to see your values in action and your talents and your

strengths. But don't discount the power that your appearance has. When we look at CEOs at the very top level of industry, politicians, actors, they've all been coached, right? They've all been coached. They've all been coached on appearance. They've all been coached on their voice. They're nonverbals. So dress the part that makes sense for the culture that you're in. And that's what mean by being strategic. What is the culture? What is the expectation of someone in my role or that role that I want to hopefully one day be in, right? What is that expectation? We've heard that forever is dressed to the level that you want to achieve or dressed for that role that you want. And so it's, it is about grooming. It's about putting it together, looking like you're sharp.

I like that, the snap in there, looking like you're sharp. I mean, for crying out loud, it's effective. When somebody, and everybody listening to this, take note. Next time you're in a room full of people, you're not going to be the last one to walk in that room most likely. So watch the next person that walks in. And what is your judgment of them as a leader based on them walking in the room? Because it's fascinating when you look at that. I mean, I've been in rooms where, you know, with a bunch of bankers and Jamie,

diamond walks in and you look at it and you go whoa that guy just took over the room by taking three steps into it and it was yes he was dressed nicely um you know suit without a tie but it it seemed he cared about how he entered the room yes and and that you know we'll call it gravitas, that gravitas that he delivered into the room. And everybody stopped talking and looked over like, oh, that's Jamie Diamond. And granted, he was going to, he was going to speak at this, at this dinner event. But ultimately it came down to, he didn't have to speak after he walked in. You know, we all knew that he was there and he didn't say a word. So it's, it's really fascinating when you take a look at that because the question is why. And it's because of all the things you just

described. Yeah. And one, the, if for your listeners, I think one really useful tip, I guess, if we want to call it that, is think about who's the first person that springs to mind when you think of someone with executive presence, when you think of someone that you have personally worked with, right? Not the Jamie Diamond, if you've never watched him actually walk into a physical space of the room, right? But who is that person that you admire, that you, see as a leader that you're willing to follow. And what is it about that leader that you admire? And especially when you're thinking about, I mean, all of it, all of those aspects. But you know, when I think of someone that that was that first person that springs to my mind,

it was a male mentor of mine. And I was probably in my 30s, met him for the first time. But he always, it was not just his dress, right? He was always very sharp, very he put together, more so than anyone else in that same role. And of course, I watched his career over the years, right? He achieved the highest levels of that, of the university, actually, at the University of Alabama. And, but it's also, it was everything. It was his gravitas. It was his presence. It was the way he walked in, engaged with people, owned the space, took his time, right? It wasn't rushing into anything. So think of that person.

And what is it that you would want to emulate? I love that take his time statement. That, I mean, that really, that confidence of that builds the relaxation into that human being, you can tell that they're not tense walking into the room. And it's fascinating because you can see where they are emotionally in their presence because they are relaxed enough that they're absorbing what's going on. They're listening, you know, one of the key aspects of being a great leader is being a great listener, an active listener. But it's incredible.

And by the way, for everybody, you don't need to be a guy and you don't need to be like six foot three to have executive presence walking in a room. I mean, think about like Judge Judy for crying out loud. Talk about somebody who has gravitas in executive presence. And I think she's like four foot 11. She's tiny. Yes. Yeah. You look at her and you're going, she scares me more than my Marine Corps drill instructor did when it comes to, you know, what she would deliver to the moment is, you know, while she's not going to, you know, punch me and knock me out.

Right. But she could certainly knock me out with her wisdom and her words and her presence. So. But she also did take her time. I mean, it was, if I think back, right, to not that I watched that a whole lot of time, never had time. That's Judy show, yeah. Never had time. But when you think of even the clips that they would put of her on television, right,

getting up to the podium and just sitting there for a moment, you know, and we know that temporal nature of how we manage and use time adds to the perception of, as you said, confidence, calmness, grace under pressure, right? And so that is also one of the strategies that we teach. and executive presence is how to own the space. How do you walk to the front of the room and own the space? Count to three slowly in your head before you begin to speak. When someone asks you a question, take a breath. You know, because that temporal aspect is showing whether you're nervous and trying to fill the space or whether you're allowing your presence to be

noticed. That's powerful. And for everybody who didn't get that, think about the difference between somebody that you know that when they're listening, they're just waiting for a gap so that they can talk versus somebody who's listening that pauses, takes a moment, absorbs what's happening, and then delivers short and concise wisdom after that. Huge difference. Huge difference. Huge difference. Leaders don't jump in a conversation just to make noise. You've really alluded to preparation, leadership preparation. And I know you teach about that. What does preparation mean to a leader when it comes to having confidence in your presence, understanding what's going on? And how should we as leaders take a moment in order to prepare for whatever environment we're

entering? I think thinking about whatever environment, you're entering into, but also Adam, generally you're entering into an environment where you are going to have to communicate. And so for me, one of the best skills to teach a leader is the preparation to communicate, right? Because I think there are two things that they can do that really set apart good leaders from great or great, yeah, good to great, right? Um, is, for, for First of all, analyzing the situation that you're going to walk into, I need to understand who am I speaking to? What is my purpose for entering into that space? What am I trying to communicate at the end of the meeting, the email, the one-on-one conversation, the presentation?

What is my desired outcome? And the question that I love to ask there is, at the end of this, fill in the blank, meeting, presentation, what is it that I want them to walk away remembering or being willing to do? If I can answer that for myself before I enter into that situation and I know a little bit about my audience, then my message becomes much clear and stronger.

So first of all, that preparation is just asking yourself the questions to understand the situation. So that's number one. Number two is then, okay, how do I open up and lead with me? so that I'm gaining people's attention and making the receptive to my message. Wow. Okay. Incredible. This has been a fascinating conversation. I've taken a lot of notes here. Well, I'm sure we could have plenty more. We absolutely could. I mean, you and I are always trying to help leaders get better. And frankly, leaders are trying to get better, but a lot of times

they don't understand where their gaps are. There are a lot of common gaps. There are a lot of blind spots, if you will, and becoming a leader. There's no leadership school, by the way, folks. You know, it's about what you go out and learn, you know, continuous learning, continuous improvement. That whole philosophy, Kaizen, 1% better every day. You know, you name it. It all fits right into leadership. Alexa, if you were to give one key piece of wisdom to the leaders that are listening to this podcast that they could implement immediately, what would that be?

Is it a piece of wisdom or maybe a tool? Either. A tool would be great. Okay. So here's one of my favorite tools. To think about, just like you said, where am I now? Where do I want to be? Think about the three adjectives that you would want people to use to describe you when you are not in the room.

Wow. And, you know, Carla Harris, who wrote the book, Strathe. strategize to win, expect to win, lead to win, uses this example to, and I've used it many years before. But if you can think about that next role or the role that you're in, but you want to be the most powerful, confident version of yourself, what are those adjectives that you would want people to use to describe you? And then the next step is, once you've defined those adjectives, now how do you enact them? How do you, through your behaviors, your attitudes, your action, and your communication exhibit those characteristics.

So if there's one takeaway, that's just the activity I would have everybody do. Because I think, like you said, there's always that room for improvement. How are we kind of continuing to move forward and thinking about what's next? That's a great tool. I love that. Everybody break out a pad and a pen. Yeah. I mean, or your phone, if you're putting it in your notes or whatever it is, get those adjectives down.

because those adjectives are what your brand is delivering as a leader. So that's ultimately something you need to be thinking about. And you should be consistent with those, by the way. Don't be all over the board with your leadership. Maintenance, right? Maintain those. That's it. Work on those, maintain them, strengthen them as much as you possibly can.

But what are your three adjectives, leaders? You know, this is why Dr. Alexa Chilkat is teaching executive education at one of the finest business schools in the country. You can find her on LinkedIn. She's got a great deal of followers on LinkedIn and, you know, some really quality people on there. So she's a good one to connect with. Alexa, I have a question and I ask all the wonderful leaders on our program here. We've heard a lot of different variations and there's always something to take from this. My question to you is, how do you start your day with a win? My win. So I grew up, up in North Georgia and basically at the base of the Appalachian Mountains. So for me, a win for me is to

kind of become grounded. And I'm fortunate enough to live in a space currently that has a view and kind of on the edge of a lake. And so my win is starting with kind of gratitude, right? Looking out into an expansive view that reminds me that life is bigger than me. And, And puts things in perspective, but also just kind of take that moment to be thankful. Because I think we just can't operate if we don't start from a place of being thankful and recognizing all the good that is happening. What a great idea. And that does so many really wonderful things to the human brain when you approach it from that perspective. If you want to walk into a meeting, do it after being grateful and centering yourself like what Alexa is talking about.

It makes a big difference, especially leaders. You're going to go from job to job to job in your day. Correct. Challenge to challenge to challenge. Take some time and center yourself like Alexa is talking about, even if it's not your first thing in the morning. But maybe it's your in-between thing every time you are going to a new challenge. Because if not, you're going to deliver the last challenge to the next challenge.

And those are going to start building up on you. And next thing you know, your leadership is going to be compromised. And you'll fly off to handle it somebody or something like that. But leaders are very self-conscious, like what Alexa's talking about. And her awareness goes a long way when it comes to being a great leader. Dr. Alexa Chilcutt, thank you for all you're doing to deliver leadership to your students at the business school, as well as all of those that you're delivering to on these podcasts and videos. You can find her all over YouTube on different interviews, delivering these bits of leadership wisdom.

Dr. Alexa Chilcutt, thanks for all you do. on Start with a Win. Thank you, Adam.