Marj Flemming vividly remembers giving her first slide presentation as a young professional at General Electric (GE) in California.
She was well-prepared — confident in her material and dressed to impress. But when she turned the slide projector on in front of a room full of superiors?
“I had put the slides in upside down,” she recalls. “I felt ridiculous, but I knew I was perfectly competent, so I turned off the projector and gave the presentation without the visual aids.” No dramatics, no breakdown, no apologies.
Those years at GE, she says, laid the groundwork for both her career and her life. Critical thinking was paramount there, and managers were expected to justify their decisions with clear, reasoned explanations.
In the late 1980s, Flemming was offered a position with the Tennessee Valley Authority, prompting her move to Chattanooga. Since then, she’s built an impressive resume: founding her consulting firm, LaunchPoint Leadership; opening a fitness business; starting a gift basket business; co-founding the Chattanooga Women’s Leadership Institute (CWLI); and co-founding the Women’s Fund.
Reflecting on her initial impressions of Chattanooga, she says, “Women weren’t progressing here. They tended to be overlooked for promotions.
“I came from California, where women were advancing quickly. Chattanooga was a whole different landscape for me. … That’s what got me started.”
In response, she helped organize a 28-woman advisory committee, which eventually became the first board of CWLI — arguably her most notable achievement. Although the organization concluded this year, for nearly 30 years members dedicated themselves to elevating women’s leadership and influence.
“I am a believer that if you’ve been given a lot, you owe a lot. And I’ve been given a lot,” she says. “And I try and help other women.”
How has the landscape for women in business changed over the course of your career?
It’s improved significantly. We now see more women in influential roles, which wasn’t the case when I started. Mentoring among women is still evolving, often because it conflicts with family time; but there has been notable progress.We now recognize that it’s fine to put a woman in the top role. And while the nonprofit sector has seen substantial progress, the for-profit sector is slowly catching up.
What’s the main lesson experience has taught you?
Everybody has a right to their own opinions, but not their own facts. Critical thinking is essential for developing informed positions on issues, and is a key aspect in leadership. Listening only to opinions without evaluating the facts doesn’t lead to informed decision-making.
Can you recall a challenging time in your career and how you navigated through it?
I bought a fitness franchise with the intention of hiring others to manage it, but I couldn’t find the people with the technical and people skills — so I had to run it myself.
After paying the franchise fee, I learned on the first day of training that the company was going into bankruptcy. But I jumped in, taught classes, and ended up running it for 12 years. I not only became fit myself, but also learned a lot about helping others get fit and improve their health.
What’s something most people probably don’t know about you?
I didn’t have a college degree until the age of 40. I recognized that having a degree was crucial for advancing in the business world, and I didn’t want to be held back. It made me realize that you can’t just be good at the job you have. You need the discipline to learn something new that can take you to the next opportunity.
Marj Flemming
* Education: BA, St. Mary’s College in Notre Dame, Indiana
* Family: Husband, Tom Claxton; 4 children; 7 grandchildren
* Interests: Reading, music, live entertainment
* First job: Waitress (teenager); secretary (adult)
* Business book recommendation: Negotiating Turbulence: Purpose-Based and Values-Driven Leadership by John Cosgrove
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