Job Opening: Looking for High Performing Leader – Must Move To Cleveland

Imagine you’re offered the position of CEO for a well-established brand. While it may not be with the company you want, it’s a position you dreamed about your whole life.  All your training and education has prepared you for this moment.

But before you say “YES!” to your new Board of Directors, the right synapses fire in your brain and you realize it’s best check with your wife first. You ask for 24 hours to consider the offer and then go home to consult with your significant other. “Honey,” she says, “Before we pick up the family and move to… {cough, cough}… Cleveland… can you do a little research about the company? See what you’re getting into?”

You apprehensively agree to your wife’s wishes, and you do a quick Internet search about the company. Here’s what you discover:

Their last CEO wasn’t even in the position for twelve months before they fired him for not reversing a five year trend of negative sales. They let one of their top new salesmen go this year with practically nothing to show for it and have had three new Chief Marketing Officers (their brand leaders) over the past year. In fact, during the past 14 years, they've had more than 20 new CMOs. During that same time, they've had six CEOs. You will be the seventh.  That’s a new CEO every two years.

They've only had TWO years of positive sales in the past 14 years.  They weren't even consecutive years. Also, the Chairman of the Board who owns a majority of the company is being investigated by the FBI for fraud for dealing with his business partners in another company.

The only good thing about the company is the customers are loyal. They will buy whatever product you sell, no matter how big the pile of crap is.

Knowing this, do you join the company?  Do you move your family across the country to lead this turd of a product?

Of course, I’m talking about the open head coaching position for the Cleveland Browns. You don’t have to be a sports fan to understand this is ridiculous job to take. Why would anyone on this earth would raise their hand and take the first plane to Cleveland Hopkins International Airport to lead this organization? I mean, come on, the fans actually call the stadium “The Factory of Sadness”.

I’m no Jimmy Haslam, but doesn't he know he’s not going to land a star head coach to lead the Browns? Maybe a coordinator from a mediocre team, or a head coach from a second tier college team may go for the job. But no one better than that.

But unfortunately, whoever they bring to Cleveland will go because of money. And that’s exactly what the Browns DON’T need right now. They need someone who wants to be there because they want to be with the Cleveland Browns. Someone who dreamed of that job, just like Meyer, Tressel, Bruce, and Hayes all dreamed of coaching the Buckeyes.  Because the next Browns coach needs to do more than produce results – they need to inspire. Inspire the players, the fans, and most importantly the city.

Because while we’re down here in Columbus complaining about one loss against Michigan State and how we lost a close one to Clemson in a major bowl game, our friends up in Cuyahoga are getting kicked while they are down.

Good luck, Cleveland. I wish you well.

Wal Ozello is the author of Assignment 1989: The Time Travel Wars and is the lead singer of the Columbus hairband Armada. He grew up in a blue collar suburb of Cleveland and is now lives in Upper Arlington, Ohio.