A programming manager told me once that his job consisted of, every day, visiting every programmer on the team, and asking them about what they were working on. He'd then gently nudge them back onto what they were supposed to be working on.
At any level, you have in front of you people with a lot on their plate, competing interests and different prioritisation abilities and it’s your role as a manager to give them enough information for them to prioritise adequately.
It might be straightforwardly reminding a developer that right now we really have to ship this feature or it might be subtly making a manager understand than it would be in their interest in the upcoming reorg if they were seen as a strong asset in solving a specific issue even it’s not directly part of their KPI and explicite goals.
I am a professional. I do not need to be reminded about what I have promised to do. Maybe that's why I'm paid good money to do what I do.