The Island with Bear Grylls began its third (UK) season on Monday night and I found myself shouting at the TV screen again as unwise decisions were made by people who could have known better:

• “Yeah – if you feel sick I suggest you drink some more of that eggy water from the stagnant pond” – this from a doctor?
• “I’ve seen the first two seasons, been through the training and after 24 hours I’ve had enough and I’m going home.” – this from an experienced camera-woman?

And cheering as they got some decisions right – the girls with fire and the guys with fresh water.

Overall, irrationality can be expected from those who have dehydrated and starved for 10 days or so – but this year’s contingent of wannabe’s seem in danger of dropping out before their weight drops off.

It occurred to me yesterday that Shine TV may have reflected that one of the problems with Season 1 was that they auditioned and selected a team of survivors. I’m informed that we are still the only group with no dropouts (and that was a close run thing).

To quote Sackie in our final episode, we made it. We loved, we fought, we fell out with each other and made it up again – but in the end, everyone was there for the last night party on the beach.

Good TV for Season 1 but clearly not for subsequent adventures – one could be forgiven for thinking that the producers have chosen for failure as well as success “to make good television”.

In the world of business we don’t have to make good television drama (apart from the nonsense that is The Apprentice) and so the only options are survival, withdrawal or death.

The banks don’t provide a team of experts on hand to provide rapid support or an “evac” procedure if things go wrong. They just steal your house.

So a survival kit on a Pacific Island differs from a survival kit in business.

To arrive on a Island you need some basic training (48 hours to be precise), a few bits and bobs like 2 machete, 2 knives, oilskins, jerry cans, fish hooks and a medical emergency pack – plus a walkie talkie that allows you to yell “come and get me” when you have had enough.

(p.s. oilskins, jerry cans and fish hooks? I don’t remember any of those)

To survive on an Island you need ATTITUDE.

To arrive in a business you get little or no basic training, a few bits and bobs like a humungous loan and a manager – and no way of escape. So you had better get it right.

To survive in a business you need ATTITUDE.

Either way, an attitude that says “I’m going to push through the pain, no matter what.”