How to get voluntary commitment when your project isn’t their top priority
Picture a project manager in the middle of a company restructuring. No direct reports. Everyone’s spinning their own plates. She’s working twelve-hour days, trying to persuade people who have ten other priorities screaming for their attention.
I’ve coached dozens of leaders in exactly this situation.
This isn’t about having a title or enough organizational chart arrows pointing to your box. It’s about getting voluntary commitment when everyone you need has a full plate and your project is just one more thing competing for their time.
Why Influence Matters More Now
Ten years ago, authority came with your position. Today? Remote work, matrix teams, projects criss-crossing departments—you’re constantly trying to motivate people who are already drowning in their own priorities.
Ever needed marketing sign-off when they’re in the middle of a product launch? IT buy-in when they’re firefighting system issues? Finance approval when they’re closing the quarter?
That’s the real world.
The leaders who thrive aren’t the ones with the biggest teams. They’re the ones who’ve mastered influence when everyone has other priorities.
The BRIDGE Model: Your Framework for Influence
BRIDGE isn’t theory. It’s a practical system for getting things done when you’re competing with everything else on someone’s plate.
B – Build the Relationship
Think of it like a relationship bank account. You’ve gotta make deposits before you try withdrawals.
Most leaders make the mistake of asking for favors or driving deadlines before they’ve shown genuine interest in what the other person’s dealing with. You can’t withdraw what you haven’t deposited.
Proactive investment looks like:
- Offering to help with someone’s backlog
- Listening to what headaches they’re facing
- Showing up in their world before asking them to care about yours
Connect with the person, not the position. You aren’t networking with their job title—you’re getting to know them as a human being.
Remote or cross-functional teams make this harder but more vital. Use every touchpoint—Slack, Zoom, coffee chats—to check in. Be specific. Show up for people when there’s nothing in it for you.
That sticks with people.
R – Reciprocity First
You give before you get. It’s an unwritten rule that builds influence faster than any org chart.
I remember covering a mate’s guard shift during my military days—long night, everyone exhausted, but you back each other up. When I needed a volunteer for a night op the next week, he stepped up without hesitation.
Look for ways to offer value:
- Give someone a lead
- Pick up a tricky task
- Pass praise up the chain on their behalf
Don’t fake it. People smell self-interest a mile off.
The key is knowing what matters to them. This is easier when you’ve already connected with the person before the position.
I – Identify Their Win
Map where your needs overlap with theirs. Your win, their win—a Venn diagram, not parallel lines.
A tech company I worked with had engineering and sales constantly at odds. When they finally sat down and mapped where both sides’ pain points overlapped, projects moved twice as fast.
Ask the question: “What’s the make-or-break for you on this project?” Then really listen.
What motivates people is rarely just money or recognition. Sometimes it’s learning, autonomy, or avoiding hassle. Often it’s about how your project can solve a problem they’re already wrestling with.
When everyone has competing priorities, the person who can show how their project helps with existing priorities wins.
If you want influence, figure out what matters to them, then build your bridge from there.
D – Direct With Clarity
If your compass heading isn’t clear, you end up adrift. Same principle in influence—you’ve got to set direction in their language and priorities.
Make it clear:
- Specific milestones
- Actual deadlines
- Transparent expectations
I had a client with a cross-functional team pulling in three different directions. We got everyone in a room, laid out the ask, clarified what “done” meant, and hammered down dates.
It wasn’t about commanding. It was spelling out specifics, then linking those steps to business pain points they actually cared about.
When someone drags their heels, dig into what’s holding them back. Usually it’s not resistance—it’s competing priorities. They’re worried about other workload or unclear about what’s expected. Specificity bridges that gap.
Make the next step so obvious it’s impossible to misinterpret.
If it’s not written, it’s not real. Always summarize commitments—dates, owners, what success looks like. That’s how you turn talk into action.
G – Get Commitment
Clarity without commitment is just conversation.
After you’ve been direct, you need explicit agreement. Not “sounds good” or “I’ll try”—you need “Yes, I’ll deliver X by Y date.”
This is where most influence attempts die. Leaders assume agreement when they’ve only gotten acknowledgment.
Lock in the commitment:
- Confirm specific deliverables
- Agree on timelines
- Identify who owns what
- Document it
When people publicly commit, they’re far more likely to follow through—even when other priorities compete for their attention. Get the commitment explicit, get it documented, get it done.
E – Execute and Follow Through
Trust is built or broken based on what you actually deliver, not what you promise.
I ran a milestone sprint with a group that had taken a beating on missed deadlines. We shifted to bite-sized deliverables and celebrated each quick win. Suddenly, momentum built.
When people see you follow through, your credibility skyrockets.
If you said “I’ll get this to you by Friday” and it lands Thursday? Bonus points. That’s the seed for your next ask, your next bridge.
Stuff happens. You’ll drop the ball occasionally. When you break a promise, fess up and fix it—don’t hide. That honesty becomes proof that future commitments are worth believing in.
My routine: Review my promises at the end of each day. Set nudging reminders. Loop back even when it’s awkward. The routine keeps you consistent.
When you consistently deliver, your projects start moving up other people’s priority lists. They know working with you won’t create more problems—it’ll solve them.
The Reality of Influence
The BRIDGE model isn’t magic. It’s practical.
Influence is earned, not handed out. If you want people to prioritize your work when they have ten other things screaming for attention, build trust, offer value, be clear, and always deliver.
The leaders who master this don’t wait for their projects to become everyone’s top priority. They build bridges that make people want to help, even when they’re busy.
You’re already leading people who have competing priorities. The question is whether you’re doing it effectively or just hoping they’ll magically find time for your work.
Your BRIDGE Challenge
Pick one relationship where you need someone’s time and attention, but you know they’re juggling multiple priorities.
This week:
- Make one deposit in the relationship bank (B)
- Offer value before asking for anything (R)
- Identify what winning looks like for them (I)
- Get crystal clear on your next ask (D)
- Secure explicit commitment (G)
- Deliver on your promise (E)
Track what changes. Most leaders see immediate improvement in cooperation when they stop competing for attention and start building bridges.
What’s your biggest challenge getting buy-in when everyone has other priorities? Comment below and I’ll share the specific BRIDGE element that addresses it.
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P.S. – BRIDGE is one of the core frameworks we teach in Amplify because leading across competing priorities is the reality of modern leadership. Whether you’re managing matrix teams, leading cross-functional projects, or driving change when everyone’s already overloaded, these frameworks give you the tools to get results. DM me “BRIDGE” for the complete implementation guide.
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