Meyer said, "You got these elite soldiers, elite warriors, elite football players and they're de-motivators because you're not clear. So I challenge you as a leader, if you're the head coach or if you're a position coach, are you very clear within your unit?"
I agree that communication without clarity being just words. But how do we relentlessly give and get feedback from young people with short attention spans?
Gary Klein, author of Sources of Power, discusses a military concept, "Commander's Intent." The doctrine reads:
The commander's intent describes the desired end state. It is a concise expression of the purpose of the operation and must be understood two echelons below the issuing commander. . . It is the single unifying focus for all subordinate elements. It is not a summary of the concept of the operation. Its purpose is to focus subordinates on the desired end state. Its utility is to focus subordinates on what has to be accomplished in order to achieve success, even when the plan and concept of operations no longer apply, and to discipline their efforts toward that end.
Within an operation (basketball game), changing situations arise (pace, foul trouble, injury, officiating style, score), but players still need to represent the commander's (coach's) intent. So often I see players 'freelance,' making idiosyncratic decisions regarding shot selection, timing, fouling/hand discipline, and so on, that I wonder for the coach's sanity. Yet ultimately, when you see and tolerate bad decision-making, it's the coach's choice.
Players need clarity, but also need to know the consequences of their choices. Playing time and roles must change when the team buckles under adversity. And if the team struggles repeatedly, the commander often has failed the troops and the mission.