A Coach for Success
Talk about an excellent coach, tutor, facilitator, these are analogous to the name Marshall Blair.
After having just completed my UK accounting designation (ACCA), I suddenly found myself with some free time and thought I’d find something new to do, but was unsure of what exactly to pursue next. One day in February 2006, I happened to stumble across an Ad for CPA classes and coaching in the yellow pages. I instantly made contact and was invited to attend what was an information session and my first class.
I can recall quite vividly the Tutor/Coach, Marshall Blair’s statement to the attendees, “It is not impossible. You can all achieve it but it depends on how bad you want it. You have to really want it and always remember to keep the end in mind – CPA.” Those words resonated with me and cemented my decision to pursue the CPA.
It was clear at the onset that Marshall possessed a wealth of knowledge and this, with his industry experience, gave him sufficient depth for coaching and provided a good platform for him to deliver the program. His method and style of delivery was practical and simple and comprised blended sessions of lectures, notes, watching hotspots, impromptu or pre-planned tests, and sometimes a mock exam. This to me made assimilation of the materials quite easy and created some good learning outcomes which ultimately led to my success in completing the CPA quickly with grades in the 90’s, despite hurricane derailment in one session when I was scheduled for exams.
What I also found remarkable about my coaching/tutoring experience with Marshall was the level of interest he displayed in his students’ success, something he indicated was also vital to his success. In the end I must say that I got more than what I bargained for. I did not just get a coach/tutor but I also gained a motivator, a committed and dedicated individual whose passion and drive to see others succeed inspired me to be purposeful, intentional and ultimately accomplished the goal I had set for myself.
