Supervisor tells team project coordinator to stop reminding him about a deadline, misses it: 'Now he thanks me every time I send a reminder'

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Brad Dickson • Managing Editor
May 18, 2025 12:00 PM EDT

We're not always going to be correct, get things right, or do the right thing on our first try, but at least we can learn from our mistakes and experience something called "growth." Taking our failings and applying them so that we can do better the next time we are faced with that situation. 

That's the idea, at least. A great many people have seemingly failed to learn this and are stuck perpetually in the exact state that they were when they reached adulthood, forever doomed to the same level of knowledge and repeat the same mistakes over and over again. Their ego guards their ability to accept fault or failure, making up delusional justifications and speaking riddles to them like a sphinx guarding the exits to a maze. Thus, nothing is ever learned, and no growth ever takes place.

There is a lot to be said here about the supervisor's ability to take one on the chin and accept and appreciate that their team member's "babysitting" was actually something that was providing a positive contribution to their life. Many managers would have declared their failings to be the project manager's fault and doubled down even harder because of their bruised ego.

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  • 01

    "Supervisor told me to stop reminding him about overdue task, so I stopped and he missed a deadline."

    I work as a project coordinator. Basically I just keep track of what everyone's supposed to be doing and make sure nothing falls through the cracks. My supervisor (we call him James) is fine at pretending he's on top of stuff... but the dude forgets everything unless someone's reminding him. So I usually give him heads up when things are due. Like last week, I said "hey just a reminder, that report's due Friday." He looks at me and goes, "I don't need to be babysat. I know what's on my list"
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  • 03
    Alright then, you got it. So I keep my mouth shut. No reminders, no check- ins. I let him be the expert. Friday comes, nothing. Monday morning, he's suddenly in panic mode cuz the director is asking where the h | the report is, he turns to me like "Why didn't you remind me?" I just said, "You told me not to" Now he thanks me every time I send a reminder lol. I guess we're back to babysitting, but at least he asked nicely.
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  • 04
    observer46064 16h ago Good job. Perhaps now he will value his team.
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  • 05
    PAUL_DNAP. 16h ago That was a perfectly applied MC - you're not babysitting him, you're a project coordinator trying to coordinate the project by making sure all the sub tasks are coming along nicely. A good coordinator will always send out a "hey it's due next week!".
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  • 06
    realdappermuis Did that once. Offered to do it myself and got told they have it handled Guess who got fired for non delivery? Though I was 'let go after probation' and heard from friends that everyone was being told I missed a deadline and got fired
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  • 07
    RealUltimate Papo 16h ago "Hey boss, I-" "I know, I know! Don't remind me!" allllrightythen.gif
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  • 08
    PN_Guin⚫ 16h ago Glad you managed to successfully train your supervisor.
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  • 09
    Artistic Pollution448 15h ago • Going from "don't babysit me" to thanking you? That's growth. Some people don't do that. Hang onto a boss like that. They may sk in some ways, but they won't stay sucking.
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  • 10
    . shophopper • 15h ago Technical manager here, working in the field of very large infrastructural projects with large teams of highly skilled professionals (most of them M.Sc.). Project management is partly babysitting. Even with these highly skilled professionals - including the management layers - I have to remind some of my team members of looming deadlines. Definitely not all of them, but some of them need it.
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