Picture this: You’ve just landed in a new town where no one knows you, few trust you, and most are bracing for the storm you’re meant to guide them through. Sounds like science fiction? Welcome to life as a Transformation Manager.
Managing a business transition—especially one involving rightsizing, vision shifts, and operating model overhauls—mirrors the plot of Resident Alien, the hit Syfy show where an extraterrestrial disguised as Dr. Harry Vanderspeigle ends up living among humans he was initially sent to destroy.
In my current role as transition lead preparing a company for Day 1 operations, I’ve often felt like Harry: an outsider dropped into a community during a time of fear, suspicion, and immense change. Here’s how lessons from Harry’s journey can guide anyone tasked with leading through chaos.
1. You’re Not the Hero… Yet
“Humans are irrational, emotional, and messy. And now I’m becoming one of them.” – Harry
In the early days of transition planning, people saw me not as a leader but as the face of disruption—the person who would oversee job losses, restructure teams, and triple workloads. Their anxiety wasn’t personal; it was systemic. Like Harry arriving in Patience, Colorado, I realized I needed to earn their trust, not demand it.
The lesson: As a transformation leader, you’re not a savior—at least not at first. Show empathy, listen actively, and acknowledge the fear. Don’t dismiss concerns with forced optimism. Validate their reality before asking them to embrace a new one.
2. See Through Their Eyes
One of Resident Alien’s strengths is how it frames humanity through an alien lens—turning our routines into bizarre rituals and our logic into contradictions. When I listened to the frontline team’s concerns about absorbing three roles, losing peers, and still performing at full speed, I stopped seeing them as “resistors” and started seeing them as survivors.
I began walking the floor more frequently, asking better questions, and documenting not just processes but emotional patterns—what made people feel hopeful versus helpless.
The lesson: Change isn’t just operational—it’s psychological. Try seeing the transformation from their perspective. A Gantt chart won’t tell you who’s crying in their car before work or lying awake at night wondering if they’re next.
3. Experiment with Humanity
Harry doesn’t know how to smile, greet neighbors, or interpret sarcasm. He learns by experimenting—awkwardly, but authentically. As a manager, I took inspiration from this approach. I didn’t have all the answers, but I could try new forms of engagement: “transition clinics,” anonymous Q&As, empathy mapping sessions, and even appropriate humor to reduce tension.
When I got it wrong, I admitted it openly.
The lesson: Don’t wait for the “perfect communication strategy.” Try something, test the tone, and own the missteps. Let your team see you learning alongside them. Vulnerability builds trust faster than perfection.
4. The Ones Who Stay Carry a New Kind of Weight
Perhaps the most difficult parallel: those left behind.
In Resident Alien, Harry begins to care about the humans he was sent to eliminate. He sees their pain, their loss, and their capacity to adapt. The people who remain after restructuring face a similar reality. They carry the loss of colleagues, the weight of extra responsibility, and the complex emotions of being “lucky” to stay.
I made it a point to create not just transition plans but recognition rituals. We paused to thank, to let teams grieve and regroup, and to explain why they were chosen to stay—and what leadership realistically expected from them moving forward.
The lesson: Survival isn’t reward enough. Acknowledge the emotional and operational cost of staying. Build in space for recovery before expecting peak performance. Honor the journey, not just the destination.
5. Create a New Story Worth Believing In
By Season 2, Harry isn’t just mimicking humans—he’s forming real bonds and protecting people. In transformation work, our job is similar: evolve from being a messenger of change to a builder of the new story.
I shifted language from “headcount reduction” to “strategic reshaping,” from “loss of jobs” to “building resilience.” Not to mask the truth, but to help people reframe it constructively.
We didn’t just launch a new org chart. We co-created a Day 1 narrative with our people: What do we believe in now? What do we stand for? Why does it matter?
The lesson: In times of upheaval, people cling to stories. Tell one worth believing in—and involve them in writing the next chapter. Make them authors of their own transformation, not just subjects of it.
Final Reflection: From Alien to Ally
Harry came to Earth with a mission to destroy it. But through relationship, humility, and reflection, he changed. So did his purpose.
As transformation leaders, we arrive with a mandate. But how we fulfill it—how human we remain while executing it—defines our legacy and determines our success.
To lead through change, we must first become one of them.
“Sometimes, the more you try to be human, the more you discover what truly matters.” – A Transformation Lead (or maybe just Harry)
What’s your experience with leading through major organizational change? Have you found yourself feeling like an outsider trying to guide others through transformation?
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