No matter how hard they tried, for three years and 98 episodes, the seven castaways on Gilligan’s Island never got off the island.
Why did they fail to escape? They didn’t really try because they weren’t sufficiently motivated. Just like many employees and even company founders, they didn’t have the right incentives.
The professor was happier on the island than off. Where else had he gained such respect and admiration? This brilliant scientist was able to generate electricity from a little human power and a few pulleys and capable of MacGyver-ing nearly anything from of coconuts and bamboo yet he couldn't build a transmitter from a radio or create a workable raft from the remains of the S.S. Minnow? Clearly the professor wanted to stay.
The skipper was a World War II naval veteran, a longtime boat captain and by all accounts a nautical genius. Yet his career wasn’t flourishing: He chartered a ragtag collection of clients for short-term cruises. Yet somehow a man with his skills couldn’t get them off the island either. Clearly the skipper wanted to stay.
Ginger, Mary Ann and the Howells didn’t have the skills or experience to get the castaways off the island but they could motivate the professor and skipper.
And what about Gilligan? He managed to screw up just about every attempt they made. Maybe that was on purpose. He could also elicit plenty of attention from everyone -- negative attention, sure, but attention nonetheless.
And yet somehow no one did anything to Gilligan. They never made hard choices. They didn’t lock him up. They didn’t finish him off. They did nothing dramatic enough to keep him from foiling their attempts to escape the island.
They cared more about Gilligan than getting off the island.
The bottom line is that the castaways said they wanted to leave the island but their motivations and incentives weren’t aligned.
They clearly wanted to stay.
Why did they fail to escape? They didn’t really try because they weren’t sufficiently motivated. Just like many employees and even company founders, they didn’t have the right incentives.
The professor was happier on the island than off. Where else had he gained such respect and admiration? This brilliant scientist was able to generate electricity from a little human power and a few pulleys and capable of MacGyver-ing nearly anything from of coconuts and bamboo yet he couldn't build a transmitter from a radio or create a workable raft from the remains of the S.S. Minnow? Clearly the professor wanted to stay.
The skipper was a World War II naval veteran, a longtime boat captain and by all accounts a nautical genius. Yet his career wasn’t flourishing: He chartered a ragtag collection of clients for short-term cruises. Yet somehow a man with his skills couldn’t get them off the island either. Clearly the skipper wanted to stay.
Ginger, Mary Ann and the Howells didn’t have the skills or experience to get the castaways off the island but they could motivate the professor and skipper.
And what about Gilligan? He managed to screw up just about every attempt they made. Maybe that was on purpose. He could also elicit plenty of attention from everyone -- negative attention, sure, but attention nonetheless.
And yet somehow no one did anything to Gilligan. They never made hard choices. They didn’t lock him up. They didn’t finish him off. They did nothing dramatic enough to keep him from foiling their attempts to escape the island.
They cared more about Gilligan than getting off the island.
The bottom line is that the castaways said they wanted to leave the island but their motivations and incentives weren’t aligned.
They clearly wanted to stay.
