When Brooke Cooper began her tenure with the Worcester Red SoxAs a product intern in 2015, there were occasions when she would go to work at the team store and depart without speaking to anyone.
Due to the layout of the team's stadium in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, "the team store was very isolated," says the 33-year-old general manager of the Triple-A minor league affiliate of the Boston Red Sox, speaking to Healthy UrvivalMake It. The store was physically separated from the ticket office and the area where the operations team worked, so on days without games, Cooper mentions that there were times when she would clean, fold clothes, and handle inventory by herself.
"Those times became quite long and isolating," Cooper remarks.
To make an impression, Cooper mentions that one of the first actions she took as an intern was to review the team's program book. She committed to memory the names and appearances of every individual in the front office, allowing her to greet them by name whenever they passed by, she explains.
Although she now views the situation "in a humorous way," she acknowledges that the approach was effective. The executives in the front office became aware of the 23-year-old, who was working on an MBA with a focus on marketing. This exposure enabled her to secure a permanent position with the team following her internship, according to Cooper.
When someone addresses you by your name, it's natural for you to want to know theirs," Cooper states. "It's a very welcoming gesture to start a conversation.
In May 2024, Cooper was appointed to manage the daily activities of the Worcester Red Sox, serving as the team's general manager. She makes history as the first woman to hold this position within the Red Sox organization.
Titles are the "first and most straightforward method" for establishing connections
Addressing your colleagues by their name could be more crucial than ever due to "the growing levels of rudeness and lack of personal connection" in modern work environments, according to Joyce Russell, a management professor and former dean at the Villanova School of Business.
Although it's a minor habit that is frequently ignored, "building those relationships, beginning with their name, and starting to learn about them as a person, is truly impactful," Russell states.
The approach could also be supported by scientific evidence. A2016 studypublished in the neuroscience journal Cerebral Cortex revealed that our brains often respond when we hear our names, even if we are not focused. Hearing your name can serve as "a signal for social interaction," according to the research.
Not everyone will possess a program book similar to the one Cooper utilized, but a quick search on LinkedIn to match faces with names canbuild relationships in the office environment, which is crucial for teamwork and even individual growth, Russell adds. That's because utilizing people'snames, and saying them correctly, can help others feel acknowledged, "as a human being and not just as some transaction," Russell says.
People deeply desire to form a human connection with someone," Russell states. "Using their name is the simplest and most effective way to establish that bond.
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