Wearing the Wrong Uniform Issue #013 Date: 30 March 2026

Hey there, Reader,

Most project managers I know have been making risk management decisions their whole career.

They just didn't have a name for what they were doing.

I was one of them. And I have a uniform sitting in a box in my garage to prove it.

Lets Get Proactive Over Reactive!

Quote of the Week “Let our advance worrying become advance thinking and planning.” ~ Winston Churchill

Story of the Week

2015. Afghanistan. I was deployed with the Special Operations Joint Task Force—Afghanistan (SOJTF-A), one of the few actual Marines embedded on an otherwise Army and Air Force staff.

We were out on a quick patrol. Link-up with some of our Afghan partners. Routine, as far as deployments go.

I'm standing there in a security posture, scanning the area, when the thought hit me.

I look left. Multicam.

I look right. Multicam.

I look down.

Tan. Desert. Marine Corps cammies.

I stuck out like a sore thumb. And outside the wire in Afghanistan, sticking out is not something you want. Looking different means looking important. Looking important means you become a target worth singling out.

I didn't need a risk register to know that was a problem.

So I talked to my team. They handed me a pair of Army multicam uniforms. I had a U.S. Marines patch made, switched out my gear, and wore it on the handful of times I went outside the wire.

Was I authorized to wear an Army uniform as a Marine?

Honestly — we weren't sure.

But I made the call. Better to ask forgiveness than permission. If another Marine had questioned it, I was ready to defend that decision with everything I had.

I still have that uniform. It's in a box of deployment gear in my garage, right where it's been since I got home. It only came out a few times.

But every time it did, I felt less visible.

That was risk management. I just didn't know the vocabulary yet.

The PMI-RMP Lens, Ten Years Later

Here's the mistake I see project managers make constantly: when someone says "risk response strategy," they immediately jump to mitigation.

It's the comfortable answer. "We'll reduce the likelihood of this happening." Everyone nods. Box checked.

But mitigation wasn't the right response for what I was facing in Afghanistan.

Let me explain the difference.

Could I mitigate the risk of getting shot at? Sure — body armor, communication, situational awareness. Could I mitigate an IED threat? To a degree. Those risks call for mitigation.

But the specific risk of being singled out because I looked different from everyone around me?

I could eliminate that one entirely.

That's avoidance. I removed the risky component — the tan Marine uniform — and that specific risk ceased to exist. Not reduced. Gone.

Here's what I want you to take back to your projects: each risk deserves its own response strategy.

You can't apply "we'll mitigate" across your entire risk register and call it a plan. Mitigation is the easy answer. Avoidance requires you to ask a harder question first:

What exactly am I responding to here?

Run that question through your risk register this week. You might be surprised how often "mitigate it" isn't actually the right call.

The Bearded Risk PM on YouTube Risk Thresholds vs. Risk Tolerance.... a concept that throws a lot of project managers and risk managers off. Don't be one of them! ​ Please don't forget to "Like" the video and Comment PMI-RMP® or PMP® Exam Prep Question you have!

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PM Dad Joke of the Week What's the difference between a risk and an issue? About three weeks and one missed warning sign.

P.S. - Are you planning to take the new PMP exam, or are you still weighing whether to go for the old version before July? Hit reply and let me know. I'm genuinely curious where people are landing on this.

P.P.S. - If you're wondering "should I wait until the exam has been out a few months?" — I get it. But here's the thing: the exam is built by PMI, tested by PMI, and I'm teaching PMI's authorized material. You're not beta testing anything. You're just choosing to be first instead of last.

Hit reply and tell me. I read every response, and I might be able to help you figure out your next move.

Russ Parker​ Founder, 44Risk PM PMP® | PMI-RMP® | PMI-ACP® | Retired USMC PMI-ATP Instructor for the PMP® and PMI-RMP®

💬 Got Questions? Leave Me a Message at SpeakPipe​ 🖥️ Find Everything at at: 44RiskPM.com​