When Leadership Had a Soul: A Personal Look at CEOs Then and Now

There was a time in American business when leadership meant presence, accountability, and human connection. I lived through that era — not as an observer, but from inside companies whose leaders shaped the early architecture of the information age.

I saw it at Universal Data Systems, founded by Mark C. Smith, with George Grumbles, John Jerenko, and Lonnie McMillion on the leadership team. I saw it again when UDS was acquired by Motorola, and George Grumbles continued in his role as CEO under the Motorola umbrella. And I saw it in the global vision of Patrick McGovern, founder of IDG, who recognized people with a kind of intuitive clarity that is almost extinct in today’s corporate world.

These leaders shared a philosophy that feels almost foreign now:
Leadership is a relationship, not a reward.

 Leadership in the 1970s and 1980s: Human, Present, Accountable

The leaders I worked with didn’t hide behind layers of management or corporate messaging. They showed up.

Patrick McGovern — IDG / IDC 

McGovern traveled to every office during the holidays, hand‑delivering bonus checks and shaking every employee’s hand. He listened deeply. He remembered stories. He believed in people. After a luncheon in Venice, he sent me a brass telescope engraved “Looking into your future — Pat McGovern.” That was the kind of leader he was — symbolic, present, and profoundly human.

Universal Data Systems — A Leadership Culture Built on Presence

UDS was founded in 1969 by Mark C. Smith, a visionary engineer who built Alabama’s first data communications company out of his garage. Alongside him were George Grumbles and John Jerenko, who helped shape the company’s culture and direction.

George Grumbles served as CEO of UDS, and when Mark Smith sold the company to Motorola in 1979, Grumbles continued in that leadership role under Motorola. The leadership culture I experienced at UDS didn’t disappear after the acquisition — it was carried directly into Motorola through the very person who had been leading UDS.

A Personal Connection Few People Had                                                                          

I knew these men not only professionally, but personally. Huntsville was a smaller, more intimate tech community then, and many of these leaders — Mark Smith, George Grumbles, John Jerenko, and others — regularly dined at my family’s Italian restaurant. I saw them outside the boardroom, sharing meals, laughing with my siblings, and treating everyone with the same respect they showed in the office. Their leadership wasn’t an act. It was who they were. That authenticity is something I rarely see in corporate leadership today.

My Own Experience Inside Motorola/UDS                                                                 

My connection to these leaders wasn’t limited to family ties or community proximity — I worked inside this world. I was part of the Motorola/UDS environment during and after the acquisition, experiencing firsthand the leadership continuity that carried from Universal Data Systems into Motorola. I saw how George Grumbles led with the same presence and humility he had at UDS, and how the culture Mark Smith built continued to influence the teams and divisions that followed. I wasn’t just watching this leadership era unfold — I was living in it.

George Grumbles — A Leader With a Human Heart                                                

 Of all the leaders I encountered during that era, I was closest to George Grumbles. He was one of those rare executives who made you feel seen — genuinely seen. He carried himself with a quiet steadiness that made people feel safe, valued, and motivated. When he spoke to you, he wasn’t looking past you or through you; he was fully present. That kind of presence makes you want to work harder, not out of obligation, but out of respect.

In many ways, George reminded me of Pat McGovern. He, too, would walk through the offices shaking employees’ hands, making sure people felt valued. He had a deep love for Italy — its food, its wine, its way of life — and even kept a home on Lago di Garda. That love of culture and connection showed in how he treated people. He ate at our family’s Italian restaurant regularly, greeting my parents and siblings with the same warmth he showed his employees.

After he moved to Italy, we stayed in touch, exchanging messages — often in Italian — until the end of his life. Eventually, he returned to Huntsville, the place where so much of his leadership story began. When he passed away, I attended his funeral. I cried, not out of formality, but because he was one of a kind. George Grumbles was the rare leader whose humanity stayed with you long after the work ended. His presence, his warmth, and his genuine care left an imprint that time, distance, and even continents could not diminish.

The ADTRAN and HudsonAlpha Legacy

After the sale of UDS, Mark Smith, John Jerenko, and Lonnie McMillian went on to co‑found ADTRAN in 1985, which became one of Alabama’s most successful technology companies.

Lonnie McMillian’s story didn’t end there. After a long career in telecommunications, he transitioned into biotechnology and co‑founded the HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology, a world‑class genomics research center that has transformed Alabama into a global hub for biotech innovation. His journey from telecom to biotech reflects the same visionary, people‑first leadership values that defined the UDS generation.

This was leadership built on connection, not compensation.

The Compensation Gap: 1980 vs. Today

The numbers tell the story of how leadership drifted away from the workforce.

CEO‑to‑Worker Pay Ratio

Year		CEO‑to‑Worker Ratio                                                  Notes
1980	~36:1	CEOs earned well, but not extravagantly.
2024	~281:1	CEO pay has grown over 1,000% since 1978, while worker pay has grown only modestly.

This gap didn’t widen because CEOs suddenly became 10 times more visionary.
It widened because compensation structures changed — stock‑based pay, golden parachutes, and boards increasingly insulated from the workforce.

In the 1980s, CEOs didn’t expect tens of millions in compensation. They didn’t walk away with massive payouts after dismantling companies. They didn’t receive bonuses for failure.

Today, we’ve seen CEOs walk away with enormous parachutes even after environmental disasters or corporate collapses. The accountability that once defined leadership has eroded.

What Happened to Middle Management?

In the leadership culture I grew up in:

• Middle managers were the backbone of the company.
• They stayed for decades.
• Companies invested in training and internal promotion.
• Institutional knowledge was valued.
• Loyalty flowed both ways.

Today:

• Middle management is thinner, more stressed, and often the first layer cut.
• Career ladders have been replaced by “lattices” — which often mean employees must leave to move up.
• Job tenure has shortened dramatically.
• Loyalty is no longer rewarded; mobility is required.

The result is a workforce that feels disposable — and leaders who feel distant.

The Disconnect

The gap isn’t just financial. It’s emotional.

Then:
Leaders like McGovern, Smith, Grumbles, Jerenko, and McMillian built trust through presence. They understood that leadership was a relationship.

Now:
Many CEOs lead from a distance — insulated by compensation packages, corporate structures, and layers of messaging.

The human connection that once held companies together has thinned.

What We Lost — And What We Can Reclaim

Leadership is not a title. It’s a practice.

The leaders I knew taught me that:

• People give their best when they feel seen.
• Loyalty is earned through presence, not policy.
• Culture is built through stories, not slogans.
• Compensation should reflect contribution — not extraction.
• Leadership should be accountable, not insulated.

We can’t return to the 1980s.
But we can return to leadership that is human, grounded, and connected.

The future isn’t built by compensation packages.
It’s built by people — and by leaders who remember that.