You can't be shy in the business world. That's the lesson Megan Olmert took away from The Associate.
Olmert started as a quiet and reserved candidate, mostly listening to what others said, but her timidity "changed drastically" from the first meeting to her last.
Olmert didn't necessarily have any personal reasons to join; she just thought it sounded interesting. She didn't realize submitting her applications meant signing away her weekends, but looking back now, she said it was worth it.
"I can't even begin to tell you," she said about how much she learned. "I learned about the different industries, met a lot of people, developed my practice and presentation skills, and learned a lot about teamwork and being a leader."
Olmert had a lot of lessons to learn as a member of Team Dynasty, as she and her teammates spent a lot of time in the boardroom. Every time her team lost, she had to sit among her teammates and wait to see who Hale would fire.
"I went to every single board meeting," she admitted. "I was quiet when Jerry got fired, but Hale told me to speak up... So at the next meeting I was talking, talking, talking." Afraid to let her application go to waste from shyness, Olmert learned to interact at the meetings and speak up about the project and her own involvement. With Hale's comment, Olmert knew it was time to start voicing her opinion or take the only alternative, which would not have had her returning to the boardroom as long as she did.
She knew her words saved her in the third meeting when she, Doan, and Lindner sat waiting to hear whom Hale would let go. Olmert knew neither of her teammates had made mistakes in the case study and thought Hale would fire her if she didn't stand up for herself.
Lindner was fired instead, and Olmert made it through another week in the competition. Hale told Olmert after the meeting he planned to fire her, but saw she came prepared and changed his mind.
"There were a lot of surprises; a lot of shocks," Olmert said, referring at first to Lindner's firing, but then recalling how Hale was always bringing in surprising elements to the game.
Other surprises Olmert remembers are switching up the teams to even them out after people started getting fired, Reanna Tarleton moving from Team Bank Shot to Olmert's team, and when the two remaining candidates being allowed to select two fired candidates each to help with their last case study.
In the last meeting, Olmert was fired alongside Matt Leebel, but was also brought back into the competition. While Olmert cannot win, she said she was honored Tarleton chose her to return to the boardroom for one last case study.
"People were saying you [were] fired and still have to do it," Olmert said. "I'm glad to be helping."
But once Olmert finishes this last case study, she's hoping for some relaxation.
"I'll be glad to have some weekends back. I have 18 credits this semester, so I still have work to do on the weekends. But I'll get some studying done," she said.
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