How the Real Work Came Into Focus: Embedding People First, Community First at Idaho First Bank
At a Glance
Idaho First Bank, a young but growing community bank founded in 2005, wanted to ensure its guiding principle—People First, Community First—was more than a tagline. Strelo was engaged to provide perspective and guidance, helping leaders define what inclusion and shared ownership truly looked like in practice. Over 11 months, 93% of employees participated in conversations shaping the bank’s organizational values, and the senior leadership team emerged with clarity and actionable next steps to embed culture across the organization.
When We First Met
Idaho First was performing well by business measures, but President Todd Cooper recognized that the human dimension of growth was less defined. As a young organization competing against banks with decades-long histories, the bank had the freedom to design its culture—but without shared clarity, culture could drift.
The leadership team had begun asking themselves a central question: Are we living up to People First, Community First every day, for employees and customers alike? Early signals suggested room for alignment. For example, a small number of internal moments had surfaced that left employees feeling unseen or excluded, even when unintentional. Leaders wanted to act proactively, not reactively, to ensure the bank’s values were consistent across branches and interactions.
What They Thought They Needed
Initially, the leadership team sought clarity on inclusion and engagement. They wanted workshops and conversations that would explore what it meant to live their tagline in a growing organization. At first glance, it seemed like a straightforward cultural “alignment” exercise: define values, clarify behavior, and share them internally. Leaders anticipated that the work would primarily involve refining language and ensuring alignment at the executive level.
How the Real Work Came Into Focus
Strelo was engaged by Idaho First to provide perspective and guidance—not because the organization was failing, but because leaders wanted to be intentional stewards of a culture they deeply valued.
From the outset, Strelo designed the engagement to slow the conversation before moving it forward. Rather than jumping to solutions, we created structured, facilitated spaces for the senior leadership team to reflect honestly on how People First, Community First was being experienced—not just intended. Early conversations revealed moments that didn’t fully align with the bank’s promise—instances where words or actions left employees feeling unseen, even if unintended.
Strelo guided the team to resist treating these moments as isolated missteps. Instead, we helped them see patterns and signals: the issue wasn’t intent or individual behavior—it was the absence of a clearly shared understanding of what their core values required in daily leadership, decision-making, and interactions.
Through this reframing, the real work came into focus. Idaho First didn’t need to change who it was—it needed clarity. Strelo helped the leadership team see that naming expectations and creating shared ownership was essential to sustaining a consistent, inclusive culture as the bank grew.
“Our tagline of People First, Community First became our driving force. Strelo helped us slow down, reflect, and define what that really means day-to-day. The values we developed weren’t just words—they were the result of our employees’ voices. That’s what makes them powerful.”
Todd Cooper
President
The Bus Stops: A Journey in Three Phases
The engagement unfolded in three distinct phases, or “bus stops,” each building on the last:
Bus Stop 1 – Senior Leadership Workshops
Strelo led three workshops with the seven-member executive team, exploring what inclusion and shared ownership meant to Idaho First. These sessions surfaced the need for more defined culture and values that could guide decision-making and behavior.
Bus Stop 2 – Next-Level Leaders Workshops
Two additional workshops brought branch operations managers into the conversation. Strelo designed these sessions to model inclusion in real time, ensuring that the next layer of leadership could embrace and champion the cultural values.
Bus Stop 3 – Organization-Wide Listening Sessions
Employees across all branches were invited to define what People First, Community First meant to them. Ninety-three percent participated, generating insights that became the foundation for four organizational values:
- Working for the Shared Success of our Bank and Customers
- Valuing Each Person
- Genuinely Caring for One Another
- Strength in Our Community
The engagement concluded with a senior leadership workshop where these values were finalized, and immediate next steps were identified to embed them across the bank.
What Changed and Why It Mattered
The outcomes were clear: Idaho First now had shared, employee-informed values that defined its culture, giving leaders and employees a reference for daily decisions and interactions. Inclusion became a lived principle, not just a discussion point.
Culturally, the work created a stronger sense of connection and accountability among leaders. Operationally, the leadership team had a practical roadmap to ensure the bank’s tagline was reflected in behaviors, decisions, and customer experiences. Employees could see that their voices were heard, fostering trust and engagement.
About Idaho First Bank
Idaho First Bank is a community bank serving the greater Ada, Valley, and contiguous counties of Idaho and Central Oregon. Founded in 2005, Idaho First offers highly personalized business, private. and residential banking services to the communities they serve.
