Betty was a competent financial director, but she also monitored everyone's work habits and commented whenever she saw lapses. Her peers at Tape Data Media felt indignant and insulted by this co-worker, who presumed some sort of moral authority over them. Operating outside of her institutional authority, Betty caused a tremendous amount of animosity and friction around the office. So the department manager sought to deal swiftly with the problem; unfortunately, he didn't think through how he could handle the problem most effectively.
Instead, he decided to give Betty a chance to explain why she engaged in this behavior at a meeting with the most interested parties. Betty was given the floor first and explained why she felt misunderstood and isolated. She produced statistics she had compiled to demonstrate how much harder she worked than anyone else. Her colleagues were nervous and uncomfortable, too stunned to say anything. At the end of the meeting, nothing was resolved.
As lawyers often say, never ask a question you don't know the answer to. Betty's manager learned that he shouldn't have called a general meeting about a problem unless he was fully prepared for what might happen.
SOURCE: How to Work for an Idiot by John Hoover (Career Press, 2003).