In a recent documentary, Ronald Reagan was quoted as saying, "Someday it might be worthwhile to find out how our images are created - and even more worthwhile to learn how false images come into being."

It's not just in politics that false images and erroneous reputations of leaders come into being. The same phenomenon occurs in business.

Hank had worked in the business for years, moving from one sales position to another, always achieving his sales targets. And yet, despite his bottom-line performance, whenever it came time for the annual review of talent to be promoted, he was consistently discounted and overlooked.

Only after leaving the company and talking with some of his former bosses did he find out the source of the problem. Early in his career, he had sold a large project to one of the firm's long-standing clients, a client whose account manager had tried unsuccessfully to sell more work to that same client for years. The account manager, shown up by the upstart newcomer, held it against Hank. Thereafter, whenever he had the chance, the account manager downplayed Hank's contribution and thus helped to establish his reputation as a less-than-stellar performer.

Jacqueline arrived as an experienced and well-regarded professional from a consulting company that her new firm had partnered with on numerous engagements over the years. She came with a Rolodex of contacts and a track record that would help the company build its brand and market share in the Southeast, where she had worked, grown up, and gone to school.

Early on, in her efforts to expand the firm's presence in the region, she called on several people she knew in many of the firm's target companies. Unbeknownst to her, other members of the firm had tried unsuccessfully to make inroads with those same targets. She quickly was labeled as someone who was not a team player, did not follow the established protocols of the business, and was more in it for herself than for the company.

Nathan was a wunderkind, having earned scholarships to Stanford for his undergraduate dual degree in business and computer science and having gone to Harvard for his MBA. The youngest of four, his older siblings were all physicians, following their parents' career path. Nathan started at McKinsey in London, moved to Bain in Boston, and now worked for his firm's CEO on special projects after leaving Bain.

Many of the key executives took offense at his remarks during the first annual planning retreat he attended, when he concisely and pointedly analyzed the firm's strengths and weaknesses. They didn't think he fully understood or appreciated what they had done to get the company to where it was today and took offense at what they believed to be unfair and far-too-overt criticism. They wrote him off as arrogant, insensitive, and disrespectful.

In each of these examples, individual events became the basis for reputations that persisted and that undermined the careers of the three leaders. What does this mean for you?

The reputations of leaders are important, fragile, and enduring.

It doesn't take much for someone young and less experienced to offend someone up the line. As your mother reminded you, first impressions are important. And later, it doesn't take much to undo a life's work. Just think of the many CEOs or politicians whose long careers have been overturned by one ill-conceived decision or mistake, whether professional or personal.

Three questions to help you think about your reputation:

What is your reputation among your colleagues? How do you know? What can you do to ensure that your reputation is based on a complete and accurate representation of your career?

Not too long ago, the following headline was in the press, "Time Inc. CEO ousted because management style 'did not mesh.'"

Leadership style and fit are critically important to the success of leaders. As the Time CEO found out, the culture of the organization and the style of the leader must align.

How well does your style fit your organization's culture?

JFK said, "We are not afraid to entrust the American people with unpleasant facts, foreign ideas, alien philosophies, and competitive values. For a nation that is afraid to let its people judge the truth and falsehood in an open market is a nation that is afraid of its people."

The same advice applies to leaders. Many leaders protect their employees from the hard reality of the business because they're afraid of what might happen if the truth were known.

To what extent have you been protecting your employees? How might you help them know and deal with the truth?

Email archie@archietinelli.com