# Episode 49-The Hidden Struggles of Leaders and What the Future Demands Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/extraordinary-leadership-podcast-7058725/episode-49-the-hidden-struggles-of-leaders-and-what-the-future-demands Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/extraordinary-leadership-podcast-7058725/episode-49-the-hidden-struggles-of-leaders-and-what-the-future-demands.md Podcast: [Extraordinary Leadership PODCAST](https://stenobird.com/podcast/extraordinary-leadership-podcast-7058725) Published: 2025-07-24T03:00:00+00:00 Episode link: https://www.theextraordinaryleadership.com/podcasts/extraordinary-leadership-podcast-2/episodes/2149063736 Audio file: https://app.kajabi.com/podcasts/medias/2149063736.mp3 Processing state: not_requested JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/extraordinary-leadership-podcast-7058725/episodes/episode-49-the-hidden-struggles-of-leaders-and-what-the-future-demands Duration seconds: 3515 ## Resource In this powerful episode I’m joined by Tom Mills – a seasoned procurement leader, soft skills coach, and self-proclaimed procurement protagonist with over 100,000 followers on LinkedIn. Together, we dive deep into what truly drives high-performing, future-proof leadership – and it's not what most procurement functions focus on. 🎯 What we cover in this episode: Tom’s personal journey with leadership pressure, anxiety, and imposter syndrome Why self-awareness, emotional intelligence, and communication are the real differentiators in procurement The human side of procurement: building trust, psychological safety, and empowered teams What makes a true business partner vs. a policy enforcer How to thrive as a procurement leader in the age of AI and organizational change The power of soft skills, and how Tom is helping leaders become 1% better every day This is a conversation for every leader – whether you're in procurement or not. If you're committed to evolving beyond technical skills and unlocking your full leadership potential, this episode will speak to you. 🎧 Listen now and let us know in the comments – what resonated most with you? About Tom Mills:  Author of Procure Bites, the number 1 Procurement newsletter delivering insights to help Procurement Professionals get 1% better every week.   Creator of Procurement Soft Skills Mastery, the online course that's fast tracking Procurement careers globally.     Public Speaker 👇 CONNECT WITH TOM MILLS: 🔗https://www.linkedin.com/in/tom-mills-procurement/ 💼 Learn more about Tom’s program: Procurement Soft Skills Mastery: https://tommillsprocurement.com/pssm/ About the host: Dagmara Asbreuk is a Leadership Transformation Catalyst, Trusted partner to visionary CEOs, Executives, Founders ready to unlock th… ## Actions - request_transcript: `POST https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/extraordinary-leadership-podcast-7058725/episodes/episode-49-the-hidden-struggles-of-leaders-and-what-the-future-demands/transcription-requests` — Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode. - read_markdown: `GET https://stenobird.com/podcast/extraordinary-leadership-podcast-7058725/episode-49-the-hidden-struggles-of-leaders-and-what-the-future-demands.md` — Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource. A page view does not enqueue transcription. Agents should invoke `request_transcript` explicitly when they need this episode processed. ## Transcript Full transcripts are not published on public pages unless there is a clear rights basis.