Just a Gentle Reminder

Ok. This is my new latest annoyance. This heading in a subject line on a work email: "Gentle Reminder". Seriously? Anytime anyone has to tell you HOW they are doing something means that they are not doing it that way. If you have to tell me you are "gently" reminding me of anything, it stops being gentle. The receiver gets to interpret how something is done. The person doing it doesn't get to tell you how they are doing it and have it be so.

And it's become a trend. One administrator saw another administrator do it, and they thought, "Hey, that's a good idea. People will like me more if they think I'm only gently reminding them of something instead of telling them there is something they need to do because it's their job.". No. I want to be told: Do this because it's your job. That, I can respect. Many things are our job that we don't want to do. And it takes a real boss to stand up and say it sometimes. I'm sick of getting "disciplined" for things I don't do wrong because my boss won't sit down with the one person that continuously messes up and tell that person to stop messing up. So in an indirect, inoffensive, impersonal, disconnected, non-accusatory way, bosses tell us all to stop doing things we're not doing instead of telling someone who really is doing something wrong directly to stop doing it! Did you get that? What I'm learning is that I can screw up as often as I would like to, because no one will be able to tell me directly and independently to stop. They will just change the rules for everyone in the hopes that I may be encouraged to change my behavior.

The person that tells you they:

• "have no ego", thinks they are God's gift to the world. 
• "don't take things personally" will be the most sensitive person you ever met. 
• "can take a joke", can't. 
• "are spontaneous", thinks about everything. 
•  "just want to be happy" will make your life miserable.
• "are open to anything", will judge you.
• "are gently reminding you of something", mean you need to do this right now.

Say what you actually mean and stop trying to tell me how to take what you say. I get to decide that.