Leadership: Finding Clarity
Nancy Umanoff and Eric Lee were matched in Greater NY during the COVID 19 pandemic and started a conversation that helped both leaders, and Mark Morris Dance Group, navigate a uniquely difficult time. Umanoff is Executive Director of Mark Morris Dance Group. Lee was, at the time, a General Partner at private equity firm Welsh, Carson, Anderson & Stowe and is a passionate champion of the arts.
"We met over Zoom in 2022,” says Umanoff. “That time was hell. Getting through the pandemic as an arts organization was unlike anything I ever experienced." Mark Morris Dance Group was navigating shuttered venues, canceled programming, and a fragile funding landscape. "Our conversations gave me the confidence to make decisions that were not always easy but were necessary for the survival of the organization."
The Partners focused on new business models, Board dynamics and financial strategy and DEI commitments arising out of a national racial awakening. "Eric’s perspective was invaluable, “Umanoff says. “He helped me step back from the chaos and see the bigger picture. He reminded me that in this new state of play, I could reframe the problem and chart a new course."
Lee drew on his experience in private equity in his Greater NY conversations with Umanoff but also notes that there were key points of difference that make Greater NY personally valuable. “Across my career I’ve found the consistent thing with CEOs I advise is that they just need to talk it out with someone who has no other competing interest. What I noticed in my conversations with Nancy was that I listened differently. In private equity, you are always listening to assess the investment. In Greater NY, I was deeply attuned to Nancy’s needs as a leader and how my perspective could be useful. The experience sharpened my listening skills.”
Greater NY connects leaders in strategic service to the people of New York City. For Umanoff, the Partnership helped build clarity during one of the hardest periods of her career and position her for the future. “The challenges for my organization are just as great post pandemic,” she says. “As a nation, there’s a breakdown of institutions. I think I’m more clear about the path forward than I’ve ever been. I feel more competent to handle it than before.”
The two Partners continue to hold each other in high regard. Lee says: "Nancy is a formidable executive. She could run whatever she wanted. I gave her space to think through things." And Greater NY Partnership made an indelible impression on Lee who has gone on to develop his own executive coaching practice, Clarity Partners LLC.
Umanoff enjoys being able to take partial credit for this career development. “I hope I in some way I helped Eric you to the place to do this kind of work,” she says.