2026 Rising Stars in Banking: Leslie Scharfe

Scharfe uses coaching background to help First Interstate make the most of its strategic planWhen First Interstate Bank shifted from expansion to strengthening its core footprint across Montana and 10 regional states, turning that strategy into execution fell in large part to Chief of Staff Leslie Scharfe..Developed over several months in 2025, the plan includes preparing the $26.4 billion bank to grow organically. One expression of that strategy is the employee advisory council, designed to connect leadership and frontline staff so decisions made at the top stay grounded in the realities of the work. The council addresses opportunities around workplace culture, community engagement and client experience, with representation that reaches beyond the top of the organization.For Scharfe, strategy is not just about setting direction. It is about creating the conditions for people to execute with clarity and action. That includes aligning leaders, defining what success looks like and ensuring teams are working toward the same outcomes.“We’ve moved from growth for growth’s sake to more intentional growth. Knowing where we win and why, and driving outcomes through action,” Scharfe said. “My role is helping translate that strategy into day-to-day decisions, so it actually shows up in how we lead and operate.”That focus also shapes how she works with President and CEO Jim Reuter and the broader leadership team.“Strategy only works when the right voices are in the room, especially the ones closest to the work,” she added. “That’s when it stops being a plan and starts shaping how people lead and make decisions.”First Interstate Bank Communications Specialist Anthony Kutzler said Scharfe helped turn the strategic plan from a high-level idea into a tangible framework. “It would not have worked without her,” Kutzler said.That ability to move between vision and execution is one reason Scharfe was named one of BankBeat magazine’s 2026 “Rising Stars in Banking,” alongside her leadership in tracking employee and customer engagement metrics.‘There are systems everywhere’That lens connects directly to how Scharfe, 41, approaches her work. A self-described “accidental banker,” she sees organizations as systems that can be understood and improved with intention.She joined First Interstate Bank in 2017 as director of leadership and professional development, and was named director of organizational development in 2022 before stepping into the chief of staff role last September. Today, she leads enterprise strategy and client experience, and works across the organization to ensure leadership priorities translate clearly into action.Kutzler attributes Scharfe’s success to her willingness to revisit an approach when something misses the mark, rather than assuming the audience got it wrong.“Every organization is a system, whether you design it that way or not,” Scharfe said. “I’m interested in understanding where the work actually gets done, who influences it and what needs to change to get better outcomes.”Through organizational network analysis, Scharfe gained deeper insight into how First Interstate’s departments work together, giving her a clearer view of how the bank operates across functions, and where strengths and gaps show up across the enterprise.She also built First Interstate’s talent program and succession planning process from scratch. Her approach focuses on developing talent by leaning into individual strengths while creating the psychological safety people need to take smart risks, learn and improve.That perspective shapes how she thinks about employee engagement as well. Scharfe views the employee experience as directly connected to the customer experience and as a lever for stronger business outcomes.“If we make the organization work better for employees, we improve how we serve customers and communities,” she said. “That’s what makes this work meaningful. It shows up in real outcomes for families and businesses, not just in metrics.”Scharfe also brings experience in neuroleadership, applying neuroscience to leadership development, organizational management and decision-making. In practice, she describes that work as helping leaders read the moment well and respond in ways that move people and performance forward. Her ultimate mission in life is to help people and organizations become the best possible version of themselves, she said.Kutzler credited Scharfe’s leadership with helping First Interstate improve its enterprise engagement score to 4.30 on a 5-point scale from 3.93. She is also credited with increasing the bank’s Net Promoter Score nearly seven points in one year. The NPS gauges how likely it is that a customer would recommend the bank to a colleague.Her perspective is grounded in a professional coaching background that predates banking. Before joining First Interstate, Scharfe was a collegiate volleyball coach, executive coach and facilitator for Billings-based professional training and coaching company Elation Inc., and taught public speaking and organizational communication at Montana State University Billings from 2013 to 2017.Today, she continues to focus on identifying and developing talent and systems across the organization.“The best people create energy around them,” Scharfe said. “You can usually feel it before you can fully explain it; they raise the level of the people and the work around them.”