I was talking to a former colleague and friend about a possible engagement with a mutual acquaintance, and he said “He wasn’t fun to work with.” At first I thought it was a strange observation. I have worked with lots of people, some fun and some not. I often think of work relationships as required relationships. I don’t walk around with the perception that I can choose with whom I have to work.

There are times when you do choose with whom you work. When you agree to take a job, you are accepting the company and the people based on your interview. You are evaluating the people on your future team, including your boss and probably your peers and staff. Why not include in your evaluation of your future happiness “are they fun?”

As a consultant, I choose work much more often than a typical job-hunter targeting an established company. One of my criteria has become “does it seem fun?” It isn’t limited to just consulting work. It strikes me that this same criteria can be a continual evaluation for anyone in any role at any company. Moves between roles happen all the time. How do you decide whether a new role is a good move for you? Do you consider whether it will be fun?

As a technical leader, the inverse is also true: people are judging whether you are fun. If you are a fun person to work with, you are more likely to attract good people who will do their best for you. I’m not advocating fun at the expense of results. When you deliver results why not find a way to have a little fun along the way?

More often than you think, you are making decisions about accepting work in your job. If your work is fun, and the people you work with are fun, it can make a lot of things about the job better. The next time you’re considering whether to take a new role or join a new, ask yourself “are they fun?"