Watch the video interview with Jim Tompkins and learn why he
wrote the book and more insights.
Click play above.
Why did you write this book – why now, and where did the idea come from?
The reason I wrote this book and where the thinking behind this book came from is from my experiences, my mistakes; my observations of others.
This book is really about three topics. It’s about China, it’s about outsourcing, and it’s about private equity firms.
Interestingly, I have a great background in all three of these. I’ve worked with over twenty private equity firms. I’ve actually had ownership of my firm by three private equity firms.
I’ve really been involved with outsourcing since the late 1970s, and it was only about a year and a half ago that I made an acquisition of a Chinese firm, Technomic Asia.
It’s by combining these three and learning about these three – I said, I really need to help others learn. And the best way to learn, I think, is by actually experiencing something. But I can’t help people experience things without telling them a story.
And so this book is a story about what you need to know to be successful in China, do a great job in outsourcing, and how to work with private equity firms.
Who is the main character, Rich, and why is his struggle so important?
The main character of this book is a guy named Rich Morrison. Rich is really a nice guy. He is a good guy, he’s a hardworking guy, he’s a family guy. He plays fair. He really, really wants to be successful, not only for himself, but also for his private equity investors as well as for his employees. Rich becomes the CEO of a lingerie company, a company he worked at for many years.
This is really a challenge for him, because he wants to do what’s right for the private equity firm. He knows what he needs to do with respect to China. He really wants to take care of his employees. But he’s stuck, because there’s a struggle.
And so Rich exposes himself in this book with the struggle between private equity and China outsourcing. And it’s a really interesting struggle that I think you can learn from, and I hope it’s fun, too.
How did the title come about?
It’s a very interesting title. The title of the book is Caught Between the Tiger and the Dragon. And it’s really about Rich Morrison being caught between a rock and a hard place. It’s about you being caught between the private equity firm, the Tiger of New York, and the dragon of China.
It’s about the struggle between action before strategy. It’s what Rich learns as he needs to put in place a strategy and then take action based upon that strategy. It’s about being caught between business and family, and how to balance those out, and how to do a successful job of being a father, and a husband, and a CEO at the same time. That’s what the book is about: caught between the tiger and the dragon.
What do you hope people reading this book will come away with?
I believe when someone reads this book, they’re going to come away with four things. First of all I want them to understand the complexity, the difficulty, of dealing with China. And that China is really different – China is not like dealing with Europe, China is unique, and you really need to understand that and grasp that to be successful in today’s global world.
Secondly, you need to understand the end-to-end supply chain – the criticality of buy, make, move, store, sell; and making sure the supply chain works all the way from buy, all the way through sell. The third thing I hope they come away with is the importance of strategy, then planning, and then execution.
You need to start with strategy, you need to develop a plan, and then you need to execute. And then fourthly, when you execute, especially when you’re dealing with China, communication is important. So we really need to grasp the importance of communication in making the outsourcing, the private equity firm, and the dealing with China come to life – make it a successful business venture.
What do you think really makes this book different than other books about doing business in China?
The thing that makes this book different is that it’s about a real person. It deals with reality. You’re going to emphathize with this guy, you’re going to understand him. You’re going to feel for him, you’re going to deal with his struggle. You’re going to read this book through his eyes and you’re going to feel his emotion. You’re going to get his feeling as to what he’s going through as he struggles with the tiger and the dragon. And lastly, I hope you have a good time reading the book.
I think it’s a lot of fun, I think there’s some humor in there. My humor’s a little bit weird, but I think you’ll enjoy it. And I think you’ll really enjoy understanding how Rich goes from the valley of total failure to the success of his business.
Biography of Jim Tompkins
Jim Tompkins, CEO of Tompkins Associates, knows what it takes to be a bold leader and what it means to inspire others to reach new heights. He founded Tompkins Associates, a supply chain consulting and integration firm, more than 30 years ago with two staff members in a spare building in his backyard.
Today, the company is one of the most successful and respected consulting firms in the world, and Jim is a much sought-after speaker and author on topics of business, leadership and organizational change. Many top international companies look to Jim to assist them with their business operations, people and processes.
For interview requests, story ideas, print-quality images of the book cover or photos of the author, and all other media-related queries, please email Myra Schwartz or call 919-855-5533.
Jim Tompkins, CEO of 