*Spoiler alert! Caution ahead*

What Do Hulu's "Only Murders In The Building" and Change Management Have In Common?

Have you seen the Hulu show, "Only Murders in the Building"? Truthfully, I haven't followed this show in totality, just bits and pieces. But I did catch wind on the premise and certain happenings in season 5 which really peaked my interest from a change standpoint. So I decided to dig in.

In the aftermath of yet another mysterious murder the trio are set to solve, there's a new character in town. And it's the various perspectives and approaches towards this character that I'm writing about today. I'm talking about The Arconia's new robotic doorman, LESTR.

There's a New Doorman in Town

LESTR's entry on the scene sparked a variety of emotions from all of the residents as they got used to this new way of security, warmth, and companionship they were missing from their previous doorman. Below, I've summarized the drastically different and human responses I witnessed while watching the show:

• Howard: "I've seen the terminator - I'm on team machine"
• Uma: "They're trying to trick us into thinking it's a tribute instead of the rise of the machine"
• Randall (with an eye roll): "But thanks to me there will always be a human at the door... right?"
• Mabel: "This is so... sad"
• Charles: "The beginning of the end of New York"
• Thé (flattered by fandom): "Bye Howard! Bye Robot!"

The Emotional Toll of Change

And why exactly is this? Why the varied responses? Because a change of any magnitude, and certainly one that feels very unfamiliar/weird/scary, can spark deep emotional responses. These emotions we often see played out as what the change industry has coined as "resistance". Resistance can be driven by a lack of understanding as to why a particular change matters to each person impacted. And I'm a firm believer in the goodness of resistance. It's a natural human response to something that feels...off. A change leader can gain many insights when digging into the loudest voices in the room (or sometimes completely silent).

So next time you are analyzing your change, make sure you create space to gather sentiment on the emotional toll of the change itself. Some of these insights may be key to creating your best strategy ever.

And now... after you :)

Thanks for flying with me today. See you next week for more insights and thoughts into the world of change management!