Good managers make good managers. It’s not just the title of one of many leadership books Randy Losoya, Analytical Lead Tech, has read over the years — it’s also the philosophy he lives by. And within his team at Monument’s Bayport site, it hasn’t gone unnoticed. In fact, his mentorship has inspired other analysts, and one, in particular, wanted to share this story about it. 

Elijah Lewis, now Lead Analytical Chemist at Port Arthur, credits Randy’s mentorship as the reason for where he and the Bayport QC Lab are today. “I started as a contractor at Bayport, and ever since day one, Randy taught me so much,” Elijah explained. “He not only showed me how to do something but also allowed me to test out new processes and learn for myself. Instead of  just expecting things to be done a certain way, Randy gave me a voice to speak up when I felt there was a way to improve what we were doing and encouraged me to develop a plan to make it happen.”

And the admiration was mutual as Randy notes, one of the most critical aspects of successful mentorship is having someone willing and eager to learn. “Good leadership starts with good followership,” Randy shared. “There are only so many procedures you can teach someone in a lab; the rest of what I try to teach is how to manage all the everyday tasks — from running samples to troubleshooting equipment and having several solutions ready. The analysts must oversee several things to pull off a successful day, and my job is to make sure they can consistently do that. Some people enjoy the daily routine where most things can be predictable without a desire to learn how to do my job. But Elijah is like a sponge, soaking up information wherever he can and always wanting to learn more. Such high-level eagerness is infectious, and that’s why he’s been so successful.” 

As Elijah continued to grow and develop as an Analyst under Randy’s mentorship, the QC Lab experienced the same. This includes the recent achievement for the Bayport site of an International Organization for Standards (ISO) certification — a standard that defines requirements for quality management systems as a minimum quality standard. 

“When I started at Monument over a year ago, we were experiencing many changes,” Elijah explained. “But to make significant improvements, we had to accept some minor chaos — at one time, we even had HVAC contractors working within our small lab while we worked. But Randy kept everything and everyone operating smoothly despite the disruptions. At that time, I left for a brief period, but when I came back as a full-time employee six months later, the lab was running more efficiently than ever under his leadership. And an ISO certification wasn’t his only goal; he was committed to creating and maintaining a new standard beyond that. He knew the importance of communication, making sure our team goals were always visible to everyone, and motivating us to always ask how we can do better individually and as one QC Team.

“For me personally, he got right back to the basics, asking what I needed a refresher on and making sure I understood what was going on. This was so important for me to feel comfortable and confident jumping back in.” 

And Elijah’s not the only team member grateful for a great mentor. Randy was inspired by many of his own throughout his career, specifically here at Monument. “My manager, Savannah Simonds, has always allowed me to learn and grow, so I try to treat everyone on my team with the same respect. To be a good manager, you have to encourage feedback, and you can’t be afraid of sharing your knowledge to help someone else succeed — that’s what you should hope for! My goal is not just to help our analysts learn to do their job better but also to become leaders and managers. Whether it’s people, time, or resources, you want everyone and everything to be the very best they can be.”