Welcome to Mehville: Where Progress Pretends and Decay Feels Polite

Not broken. Not bold. Just stuck. Mehville looks like momentum but quietly drains your edge. Most residents think they’re leading.

Mehville.

What is Mehville, and are you already living there?

It's the quiet middle.

Not broken enough to fix. Not bold enough to notice.

Everyone nods. No one pushes.

Not bad enough to leave. Not good enough to love.

Just… meh.

I used to live in Mehville. From the outside, it looked like momentum.

Inside, it was slow decay.

No urgency. No tension. No rebellion.

Just polite stagnation.

And no roadmap out.

So I built one.

What Mehville Looks Like in B2B Distribution

  • CRM is technically "live," but reps still email Excel trackers
  • Sales happen, but core SKUs flatline quarter after quarter
  • Pricing exists, but reps override it before the buyer even blinks
  • AI pilots launch with fanfare, then quietly fade
  • Strategic initiatives die in the handoff from kickoff to execution

This isn't maintenance. It's erosion dressed as progress.

Let's go deeper.

Sales

  • Reps pitch product specs, not business outcomes
  • Discounts go out early, just to "be safe"
  • Pipeline confidence dies by Q4

If your team can't explain why you win, your buyers won't do it for them.

Ops

  • Shadow workflows outperform your official tech stack
  • Reporting looks clean, but no one uses it to act
  • AI tools that demo well die in the field

If nothing changes, you're scaling inefficiency.

Strategy

  • Vision lives in board decks, not sales playbooks
  • KPIs track motion, not margin
  • Teams hit OKRs that don't move contribution dollars

If strategy doesn't change decisions, it's just theater.

Customers

  • They renew, but disengage
  • Feedback loops are surveys, not signals
  • You show up in contracts, not conversations

If they'd switch without hesitation, you've already lost.

Leadership

  • Celebrates internal wins while losing market share
  • Avoids discomfort and calls it alignment
  • Prioritizes efficiency while competitors rewire for speed

If no one's uncomfortable, no one's growing.

The Mehville Test

If three or more of these landed, you're in Mehville.

If five did, you're not stuck - you just have a 30-year lease in Loserville.

And here's the part no one wants to admit:

Most Mehville residents think they're leading.

I didn't escape by tweaking.

I escaped by committing.

But not all at once.

Tomorrow: I'll share the pressure-tested escape plan I wish someone had handed me.

No shortcuts. No fluff. But it works.

If any of this hits too close to home, stay tuned.

Published July 11, 2025
Categories:B2B TransformationStrategic StagnationOrganizational Clarity