Rose Marie Gage

Rose Marie Gage - Featured LeadHER

ROSE MARIE (ROSE) GAGE

Founder and Principal of Great Governance Matters and MPOWRU, Board Member (Public, Private, N4P)

2021 Women of Inspiration™ Integrity Award

My journey is non-traditional. I have worn many hats: CEO, board member, entrepreneur, volunteer, mentor, coach, collaborator, mother, wife, daughter and friend. I have always worked hard, and needed autonomy—in career, home, thoughts and actions. As a first-born Canadian-Slovenian, my original aim was a happy marriage, children and a career leading to middle management. In primary school, they painted me in a small box—one I was determined to break!

I married and had a son. My marriage ended. I became the breadwinner. My marital breakdown and its aftermath made me realize a few things: I needed a future that was greater than imagined and I couldn’t do it alone!

I worked in a male-dominated and patriarchal organization with few women in senior roles. Lateral growth only. At the time, I led Customer Service. It was a noble job—just not for me. I loved vision, strategy, innovation and outward-facing roles (and I was great at it). I felt placed in the penalty box because I thought differently. Each day I lost a little more of myself.

I chose to take on an individual contributor role at GE Energy as a Commercial Six Sigma Black Belt. I didn’t have the credentials; however, I did have personality, perseverance and drive. My bosses saw that I was a good fit even without an engineering degree or the Black Belt certification. This role was AMAZING. GE was a game changer. I was trained, mentored, and had the opportunity to fix large commercial problems, train others and make meaningful change.

How did failure shape your success? I have failed enough and learned a great deal. I have failed relationships (divorce and friendships), I have failed projects and roles. I respect failure; it is a great teacher. It illustrates weaknesses and it directs future learning. While failure is subject to interpretation, we still learn. With each failure, I refine myself and my approach— like a “continuous improvement” self-study.

GE was a true fit where my skills and strengths were rewarded. They saw me and gave me opportunities never imagined including working with GE’s largest global client (> billion dollars revenue)! As Champion, I induced change across Canada and became an inaugural member of the Conference Board of Canada’s Centre of Excellence for Women’s Advancement, working with other large companies to break the glass ceiling. I established and led the GE Women’s Network-Canada. In my role, I learned, challenged, shared, grew, sometimes fell or moved sideways, and got back up again. I flourished. I worked with Canada’s largest companies communicating best practices, making deals, and sharing the benefits of GE’s practices.

How did failure shape your success? I have failed enough and learned a great deal. I have failed relationships (divorce and friendships), I have failed projects and roles. I respect failure; it is a great teacher. It illustrates weaknesses and it directs future learning. While failure is subject to interpretation, we still learn. With each failure, I refine myself and my approach— like a “continuous improvement” self-study.