You can't assume you understand motivations.
For the longest time, we didn't know what exactly was motivating Snape. His loyalties were questionable. He clearly snarled at all things Potter, the House of Gryffindor, and all that is bright and sunny in the world.
Yet we found out he was ultimately working for the good guys (sorta like "in the best interest of the organization"), despite appearances. The man leading the plan to protect HP, Dumbledore (equivalent to "the boss"), did understand his motivations, and was certain he could count on Snape to do the right thing at the right time.
Do you know what truly motivates your employees?
People can be confounding. As humans, we can sometimes seem to work at cross-purposes to the organization's goals. Snape was clearly conflicted, sometimes protecting Harry and sometimes throwing him under the bus. But ultimately we understood where he was coming from, and why.
Not one of us is purely consistent all of the time. We have competing commitments in our hearts or minds.
You can ask your puzzling employees what motivates them, but they may not even have an answer for you.
You, as a leader, have to commit to observing and getting to know the person, gaining their trust, and be willing to work with their motivations.
Only then do you have the chance of knowing what you can count on from them, a chance of channeling their passion, potential and motivation --all toward their own satisfaction and the organization's benefit.
Happy Autumn!
