I truly believe that every player on our team wants team success. Very few players can get to the mentality of Bill Russell though, "My ego depended on the success of my team."
Youth has great energy, but little experience, and players need to find their voice. Lolly Daskal is one of my favorite leadership authors. She discusses finding your voice. That doesn't equal constant or loud speech. And it doesn't diminish the importance of modeling excellence daily. We all know the aphorism, "An empty drum makes the loudest noise."
Here are a few excerpts:
"If you want to know you are making a difference, you must learn to find your voice and do so proudly."
"The strongest and smartest people in the room are often not the ones doing all the talking. They're often the quietest because they are listening and thinking before they voice an opinion."
Kevin Eastman says, "your paycheck is your responsibility." What he means is that your efforts translate into your material rewards and credibility. Eastman reads two hours a day and is widely respected as a development guru. Earn your future.
But in addition to 'figuratively' finding your voice on the court, you need full-throated communication. The Celtics and others preached that court talk be "Early, loud, and often."
The back row quarterbacks the perimeter because they can see everything happening in front of them. They can see the screens, the cutters, and call for more pressure when they are fronting post players. They direct traffic on the pick-and-roll.
"Silent teams are losing teams."