Here's a musical holiday treat for my regular Lean Blog readers and podcast listeners, a song parody, originally released in 2009, remastered a bit in 2022:
“Gemba Claus is Comin' to Town”
Gemba Claus is Comin' to Town
Lyrics by Mark Graban
Performance by Steve Sholtes
Oh, you'd better watch out
You'd better kaizen
You'd better not pout, I'm tellin' ya then
Gemba Claus is comin' to town
He's making a list
Just checking it once
Doin' it twice would waste a whole bunch
Gemba Clause is comin' to town
He sees you when you're waitin'
He knows when your work flows
He knows if changeovers are too long
So do SMED for goodness sake
Oh, you'd watch out
You'd better not pause
You'd better not pout
Find the real root cause
Gemba Claus is comin' to Town!
For voiceover work, music, or more, you can contact Steve via his website, www.stevesholtes.com.
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!
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Mark's new book is The Mistakes That Make Us: Cultivating a Culture of Learning and Innovation.
He is also the author of Measures of Success: React Less, Lead Better, Improve More, the Shingo Award-winning books Lean Hospitals and Healthcare Kaizen, and the anthology Practicing Lean.
Mark is also a Senior Advisor to the technology company KaiNexus.
Not bad, but don’t quit your day job. :)
Funny stuff Mark, Happy Holidays!
Dean, I hope you mean me, not Steve!
That was very creative. Nice job.
Good one Mark! We need more :)
Start your day with a bit of Irish coffee, huh?
[…] readers and podcast listeners, a song parody, “Gemba Claus is Comin’ to Town.” Click here to hear the song, but lyrics are […]
[…] a look back to the song “Gemba Claus is Comin’ to Town” that I wrote and my friend Steve Sholtes performed last year. Click play in the player below or […]
[…] Gemba Claus is Coming to Town […]
[…] For now, it’s time to revisit my 2009 creation: Gemba Clause is Comin’ to Town! […]
thanks for sharing Mark. Here is one written by Dr. Fine at Group Health.
A Lean Christmas
T’was the night before Christmas, and down on The Gemba
Group Health is Leaner than we ever rememba
Our leaders are nestled all snug in their beds
While visions of Standard Work dance through their heads
Dyad partner and I Huddle daily to Fish
Continuous Improvement our big holiday wish.
We’d just settled our brains for some real A3 Thinking
When
From an RPIW there arose such a clatter
(We wish they’d produce more ideas and less chatter)
We flew like a flash to the latest Report-0ut
To see what new work we’d now have to sort out
What to our wondering eyes did appear
But a Pacesetting Sensei—without one reindeer!
Our Sensei was ever so lively and quick
But he surely was nothing like good old St. Nick
He made us feel Leaner than ever before
He whistled and shouted Lean teachings galore:
“Now Kaizen, now Kanban
Now Value Stream Mapping
On Muda and Mura
And Minimal Staffing!”
To the top of the Hedis score GHP will be shining
Our Dashboard tachometers will all be red-lining!
And then in a twinkling (even faster than that)
Down the chimney our Sensei came with a Splat!
He was dressed all in saffron from his cowel to his sandels
He leaned on a cane of Toyotabrake handles
A bundle of Lean tools was flung on his back
An Air Traffic Controller and Lean maniac!
His 5-Whys—how they sparkled! His A3—how downtown!
His 5S was 3 Actuals walking fast from a Burndown!
He had a Lean face and a sunken in belly
When he laughed nothing shook like a bowlful of jelly
He was, nonetheless, a right jolly old fox
As Level as any Heijunka Box
He spoke not a word, but went straight to his work
And pulled on that ol’ Andon Cord with a jerk!
Outcome Measured Production then ground to a halt
That cord-pulling Sensei was sure worth his salt
Then, laying his finger aside of his nose
It was Just in Time—up the chimney he rose
And I heard him exclaim as he Process Walked out of sight
“Our Fat Years** are over—the Lean start tonight!”
Copyright Alan Fine, MD, 2010
[…] seen it’s share of witty song parodies through the years. First, Mark Graban brought us Gemba Claus. Then, Bruce Hamilton upped the ante with Addicted to Lean. Now it’s your […]
[…] Song: Gemba Claus is Comin’ to Town! […]
And I thought I was a Lean geek :) Thanks for all you do! Merry Christmas Mark!