Debra Chantry-Taylor: Why Priorities Fail in Real Businesses & What Strong Teams Do Differently
In this episode of Better Business, Better Life, Debra Chantry-Taylor breaks down why so many leadership teams keep setting priorities that never quite land.
Drawing on hundreds of leadership sessions, Debra explains that priorities usually fail not because teams are lazy or uncommitted, but because the system is working against them. Too many priorities, vague outcomes, “forever” initiatives, and reliance on external factors quietly erode confidence, trust, and momentum.
Debra unpacks what strong teams do differently. They limit priorities to three to seven clear, finishable goals per quarter. They write SMART priorities, protect focus time, assume interruptions will happen, and use weekly check-ins to realign rather than panic. She also tackles common leadership traps like founders changing direction mid-quarter, teams chasing perfection instead of progress, and the hidden cost of never finishing anything.
This episode is a practical reset for leadership teams who want fewer priorities, cleaner execution, and the confidence that comes from actually finishing what they start.
CONNECT WITH DEBRA:
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►Debra Chantry-Taylor is a Certified EOS Implementer | Entrepreneurial Leadership & Business Coach | Business Owner
►Connect with Debra: debra@businessaction.com.au
►See how she can help you: https://businessaction.co.nz/
►Claim Your Free E-Book: https://www.businessaction.co.nz/free-e-book/
Episode 258 Chapters:
00:00 – Introduction
00:35 – Why Priorities Fail in Businesses
01:36 – Patterns of Priority Failure
02:39 – Clarity and Prioritisation
03:47 – Strategies for Effective Prioritisation
04:54 – Handling Forever Priorities and External Dependencies
07:32 – Managing Interruptions and Trade-offs
09:31 – Audience Questions and Answers
15:25 – Weekly Meetings and Balancing Flexibility with Accountability
She is based in New Zealand but works with companies around the world.
Her passion is helping Entrepreneurs live their ideal lives & she works with entrepreneurial business owners & their leadership teams to implement EOS (The Entrepreneurial Operating System), helping them strengthen their businesses so that they can live the EOS Life:
- Doing what you love
- With people you love
- Making a huge difference in the world
- Bing compensated appropriately
- With time for other passions
She works with businesses that have 20-250 staff that are privately owned, are looking for growth & may feel that they have hit the ceiling.
Her speciality is uncovering issues & dealing with the elephants in the room in family businesses & professional services (Lawyers, Advertising Agencies, Wealth Managers, Architects, Accountants, Consultants, engineers, Logistics, IT, MSPs etc) - any business that has multiple shareholders & interests & therefore a potentially higher level of complexity.
Let’s work together to solve root problems, lead more effectively & gain Traction® in your business through a simple, proven operating system.
Find out more here - https://www.eosworldwide.com/debra-chantry-taylor
