Great going in staying on course.
WEEK 4: Letting Go of Control
Monday
Subject: The control that’s holding you back
IC pros are control freaks.
We want to:
- Write every word
- Approve every message
- Control every channel
- Perfect everything
But control is killing your effectiveness.
This week: Learning to let go.
Tuesday
Why we grip so tight
We think if we don’t control it:
- Messages will be “wrong”
- Brand will be damaged
- Misinformation will spread
- It’ll be a mess
Reality: Your grip is causing the problems you’re trying to prevent.
When you control everything:
- Communications feel corporate and fake
- Employees don’t engage
- Nothing feels human
- Trust disappears
Question: What’s one small thing you could let go of this week?
Wednesday
Give employees choices
Instead of deciding FOR them, let them choose:
Channel choice: “Would you rather get this via email, Teams, or a 5-minute video?”
Format choice: “Do you want the full report or a 1-page summary?”
Timing choice: “When’s the best time for this town hall? Vote: Morning, lunch, or end of day?”
The point: Respect that they know what works for them.
Thursday
Let managers communicate (really)
Stop writing scripts for managers to read.
Instead:
- Give them the key facts
- Share the “why”
- Provide talking points, not word-for-word scripts
- Trust them to use their own words
- Support them with Q&A prep
Why: Their teams want to hear from THEM, not corporate-speak through them.
Try this: Turn your next “manager script” into bullet points and talking points.
Friday
Employee-generated content
Your best communicators might not be in your department.
Let employees create:
- Video updates from the field
- Blog posts about their work
- Photos from their day
- Tips for new hires
- Stories about wins
Your role: Light editing for clarity, not complete rewrites.
Benefit: Authentic voices that people actually trust.
Saturday
When control IS needed
Let’s be real—you can’t let go of everything.
Keep control of:
- Legal/regulatory announcements
- Crisis communications
- Major policy changes
- Financial information
For everything else: Ask yourself, “What’s the worst that could happen if I let someone else handle this?”
Usually, the risk is lower than you think.
Sunday
Week 4 Challenge: The Letting Go Experiment
This week, identify something you always control.
Ideas:
- Let a team write their own update (you just fact-check)
- Let employees pick the format for a message
- Let managers deliver news in their own words
- Let a group decide what goes in the newsletter
Do it. See what happens.
Reflection: Was it better, worse, or just different? What did you learn?
