The Clifton Review  

The Clifton Review is a tri-weekly column that examines the question of the Clifton project along with the evolution of the war between two billionaires. We covered the start of this war with articles describing the battle over easement rights, the mysterious burning of a home, the blocks to rebuilding, and countless questionable court filings.

While the 2018 series salutes fashion mogul Peter Nygård’s Golden Jubilee detailing his rags to riches story, his incredible business success over these past fifty years and an inside look at how he did it, The Clifton Review will also continue to address current affairs as they relate to the good of The Bahamas.  

“Nothing Is Ever Perfect”

By P.J. Malone 

How’s life? Are you where you want to be and achieving the things you want to achieve?

Fashion mogul Peter Nygard’s business practices have a useful lesson that we can apply to our lives to make the changes we desire to live a more fulfilled life.

Many companies practice the business principle of continuous improvement whether it’s through the Deming Cycle, Six Sigma, Lean, Total Quality Management or others. They use specific suggested processes for practicing this principle. For Peter Nygard, this principle is a way of thinking, his practicing modus operandi, his philosophical approach to everything.

If you had to pick a defining practice in his business, it would be his focus on continuous improvement. It is an important foundation for him. He once stated, “Nothing’s ever perfect. You can always improve something.”

As a perfectionist, it’s not surprising. In his business, continuous improvement is practiced in every area on every level.

The company structure and processes are reviewed on an annual basis. The technological implementations are continuously checked for effectiveness. Product quality and delivery mechanisms are always assessed.

The biggest continuous improvement focus for Peter Nygard and his company is in their product development and execution. No matter how successful what they have created is from a previous season, they look for ways to improve on it, which isn’t the standard for everyone.

Once individuals have achieved success in their lives in any area, they tend to feel that they have arrived—they’ve reached the pinnacle. However, with Nygard, the practicing principle is, ‘how can we make it even better’. The focus is not on ‘how can we make money’, but on ‘how can we improve’.

As Nygard has stated, “Business to me is not a vehicle for making money but a vehicle for achieving a sense of accomplishment that just keeps driving me further.”

This constant focus on improvement allows his business to constantly evolve. And that is the difference between making millions in a business and hundreds of millions.

For Nygard, continuous improvement is a way of being and a way of living. Our lives can also benefit from a continuous review process.

One individual practices continuous improvement by reviewing his life every year on his birthday. He spends time in reflection and looks at where he is relative to the goals he had previously set. He then makes a course adjustment or correction for the year ahead.

When asked why he does this he explained that life goes by really quickly; it could be over before you know it. He didn’t want to get to the end of his life to realize he didn’t live his life they way he wanted to and didn’t accomplish all of the things he wanted to accomplish.

One’s birthday represents the perfect opportunity for a reflection. It’s an ideal time for reviewing because it’s also a reminder that you are getting older and running out of time to do the things you want to do.

That makes sense. If you think about it, human beings are creatures of habit and can easily get into a rut or a place of complacency. One way to get yourself out of it is to have a set time and schedule to review your life and make a plan to improve it.

So if you are not where you want to be in your life and achieving the things you want to achieve, a plan of action for ‘reviewing, measuring, and taking action’ is a great method for getting your life back on track.