The Power of Adaptability

Sarah Thornburgh, Administrative Assistant on our Facilities and Office Management Team, discusses the importance of compassion and adaptability in the workplace and what the challenges of 2020 helped her learn about herself.

What’s your role at ConnectiveRx?

I am an Administrative Assistant on the Facilities and Office Management Team. My main goal every day is to help anyone and everyone I communicate with. Our Team handles such a wide range of responsibilities, from office supply orders, planning events, assigning seat placements, and being a resource for our Teammates. I’m here to help anyone who needs me!

What skill do you think is most important to success in your role?

The most important skill for success in this role is to be able to adapt. My job is to respond to whatever is given to me with efficiency and a positive attitude, pivoting from one thing to the next. In my role, I need to know a little bit of everything and understand time management. I am ready to take on anything at any time!

What is the most rewarding part of your job?

In my position, I get to know Teammates throughout ConnectiveRx. I work with so many different people and I absorb as much as I can while collaborating on tasks or projects. I’m grateful for the interpersonal opportunities, big or small. It is great being able to hear and learn from my colleagues so I can grow in my role.

Which ConnectiveRx value resonates with you the most and why?

The ConnectiveRx value that resonates most with me is Compassion. I grew up being taught to have compassion for others and in everything I do. When you show compassion in your work, it shines through no matter what role you’re playing in an organization. If I can have an interaction with someone in passing and it makes their day a little better -- that gives me motivation.

This past year brought a lot of change. Is there anything new you learned about yourself?

I think I learned to not let unfortunate circumstances define me. I planned to have a big, beautiful wedding in May of 2020. When the pandemic hit, I learned very quickly that everything I hoped and dreamed for on our big day wouldn’t look the same. I would need to rethink and reprioritize what I wanted with what was safe and manageable given everything that was happening around us. The honeymoon we had been planning and investing in would not be happening when I wanted. My headspace wasn’t ideal at the start of the pandemic and I was letting my anxiety overcome me. I wasn’t in control of COVID-19, but I was in control of myself. I chose not to allow those negative thoughts to have a say over my life. It’s too easy to let anxiety dictate your happiness so I learned to make the most out of the situation I had been handed. I was able to turn one wedding event into two beautiful, safe events. My honeymoon was postponed by 10 months, but because of that we were able to save more and do even more while we were away. Things don’t always go as you plan, but how you react is always in your control.