When I think about people I've managed or observed, along with the way that clients or managers have treated me, I see a fallacy where differing expectations or

When I think about people I've managed or observed, along with the way that clients or managers have treated me, I see a fallacy where differing expectations or needs are substituted for motivation. For example, I recently walked away from a project where the client kept restating the priority and the work context, both of which were well understood. The problem was that the project needed a legit budget and team - it wasn't a question of motivation, but reality on the ground. Likewise when I think about people I've managed who on the surface seemed unmotivated, the real problems were more subtle - one guy was clearly depressed but also didn't have the skills for the job. Another was going through a bad divorce and really needed a lot more money for the legal war chest. Still another was tired of so much work travel and really wanted to be in a different career. I'm sure there are people who legitimately lack intrinsic motivation, but more often than not my experience has been is doesn't have anything to do with not understanding the context of the work (though I'm sure that was itself be demoralizing).