Book excerpt: From taming the ego, to navigating passive aggressive behavior, Life’s Non Conformities: An Auditor’s Tale of Practical Application of Social, Emotional & Behavioral Strategies is a pioneering collection of lessons showing the practical application of social, emotional, and behavioral theories; narrated by an internationally recognized auditor. Through extensive leadership training and embracing teachable moments, Salman Raza shares profound skills that mitigate conflict, develop self-awareness, and strengthen leadership capabilities. This book offers a practical guide for individuals starting their career, to the CEO; teaching how to handle everyday challenges and difficult situations with empathy and kindness. We have powerful communication tools at our fingertips, but our personal and professional relationships are not any stronger. We still rely too much on what someone is saying, and ignore, or are oblivious to, how they are feeling. Often, we can navigate through peacefully, but other times we are unexpectedly met with conflict. A commonality in these interactions is the lack of awareness of why we behave like we do. Life’s Non-Conformities teaches readers how to nurture their inner awareness and surroundings, to develop deeper, more rewarding personal and professional relationships. "Authentic, engaging, and relevant to all business managers..." "Excellent read, full of authentic and relevant business and life stories that makes the reader think about the way they think and work with people." ~ Dave Millner, Consulting Partner @HRCurator “Salman Raza’s personal reflections in Life’s Non-Conformities reveals his competence and commitment to learning from his experiences. He eloquently conveys his life-changing, diverse, professional interactions and the lessons learned from them. Hopefully, by sharing his experiences, readers will better craft their life’s lessons. I wish him much continued success.” ~ Dave Ulrich, Rensis Likert Professor, Ross School of Business, University of Michigan; Partner, The RBL Group "There are a lot of inspiring books designed to entertain and motivate people, without giving them the tools to make their dreams come true. There is even more about scientific frameworks that work better on paper than in life. Life's Non-Conformities is the best of both worlds. It gives you the best practices and latest insights shown through the author's personal stories, struggles, and successes." ~ Csaba Toth, Founder of ICQ Global, and Author of Uncommon Sense in Unusual Times "An excellent, informative book by a gifted storyteller, Life's Non-Conformities takes the reader through a journey of a life lived both humbly and intentionally. Raza, who has lived on four continents, expertly blends the stories of his successes and failures with the research-based tools he used to overcome challenges. The reader gets practical tools to help them interact with others more effectively, draw appropriate boundaries, and excel with different cultures. A fascinating read full of practical wisdom." ~ Lisa DeWaard, Ph.D., CEO of Hofstede Insights USA "For those readers who aspire to a global perspective, this book offers practical, real-life lessons in empathy, bias, self-awareness, and cross-cultural awareness. Mr. Raza recounts personal and professional experiences revealing how humility, vulnerability, authenticity, and harnessing ego have made him a better professionally and personally. Raza teaches how to understand archetypes and work towards win-win interactions. He introduces many practical models for deeper self-understanding and developing empathy for others. This includes diving into the Hofstede model to show how cultural awareness can enrich interactions individually and internationally. A meditation in contextual self-awareness and awareness of others." ~ Jaymes Cloninger, Founder and MD - Motivf "Salman Raza takes us on a delightfully authentic journey of his life's lessons in emotional intelligence. His unique perspective as a British, Pakistani, world-traveling auditor forced to deal with challenging clients, provides a fascinating backdrop. This book is a solid contribution to the corporate world where emotional intelligence has not been valued. It is a rare gem in giving readers a glimpse through the eyes of an immigrant professional finding his way as an outsider in a tough field. An informative and entertaining read." ~ Steve Slocum, Award-winning Author of Why Do they Hate Us? Making Peace with the Muslim World “Not all caterpillars reach their potential of being a butterfly. In fact, only four-tenths of one percent eventually become butterflies. Salman taught me this, and it changed the symbolism behind their metamorphosis. Their transformation should not be assumed or taken for granted. Not everyone grows, because it can be difficult, but when they do, the results are beautiful.” ~ Rev. Dr. Sheri Pallas