Why This CEO Became an Intern | Puneet Raj, Fieldwire

When Puneet Raj became CEO of Fieldwire after its acquisition by Hilti, he inherited a successful 250-person startup facing a pivotal transition: the founders were leaving, employees were worried about losing the startup culture, and a new leader was walking in. Instead of arriving as the new boss with all the answers, **Puneet introduced himself as an intern.** For six months, he rotated through Fieldwire’s teams, learned the business from the ground up, listened to the people who had made it successful, and even failed the company’s demo certification twice. The approach helped him earn trust, opened a direct channel with employees, and gave him a deeper understanding of the company before trying to change it. Puneet shares what that experience taught him about **humility, listening, organizational trust, leading experts, and creating alignment at scale**. He also explains why he now treats his leadership team as his most important “product”, and why leaders in the AI era need to know when **NOT** to use AI. His warning: when leaders outsource their thinking to AI, they can lose the ability to debate, question, and think deeply about the decisions that matter most. **In this episode:** - Why a new CEO deliberately became an “intern” - How listening before leading can earn trust - Why great leaders don't need to know everything - How to align hundreds of people around one direction - Why your leadership team may be your most important “product” - The danger of outsourcing critical thinking to AI **Leadership starts with learning and sometimes the best way to lead is to become a student first.** \----- **Connect with the Host, #1 bestselling author Ben Fanning** Speaking and Training inquires Subscribe to my Youtube channel LinkedIn Instagram Twitter