I’ve recently finished up with Snyk after a little over 8 years there. Its been a huge learning experience for me and represents a significant chapter of my career. I’m aiming to post a more detailed reflection on my experience once a little more time has passed.
In the meantime, I wanted to share the document template I used as a starting point for my reflection, its a mixture of incident retrospective with some adjustments to focus on self compassion and defuse my tendency towards perfectionism.
**Company/Role:** _____________________
**Duration:** _____ to _____
**Date of Reflection:** _____________________
## Context
**Why I took this job:**
**Initial goals:**
**How it ended:**
## What Went Well
*What specifically went well? What actions or decisions contributed? What skills or strengths did I demonstrate? What was within my control vs. external factors?*
## Where I Got Lucky
_What was the fortunate circumstance? How much did this contribute to the outcome? What did I do to capitalize on this? What would have happened without this luck?_
## What Could Have Gone Better
_What specifically failed or was inadequate? What was my contribution to this failure? What external factors contributed? What were the root causes?_
## What Would I Do Differently
**_What** would I do differently? Why would this be better? What would I need (skills, support, boundaries)? Early warning signs to watch for?_
## Self-Compassion Check
- **Where am I being overly harsh?**
- **What would I tell someone else in my situation?**
- **What was genuinely difficult about this role/company?**
- **What systemic issues were beyond my control?**
## Evidence of Growth
- **Skills I have now that I didn't when I started at this company/role:**
- **Problems I can solve now that I couldn't then:**
- **Confidence I've built:**
- **Evidence that contradicts "I'm not good enough":**
## Action Items for Next Role
- **Environment/culture requirements:**
- **Red flags to watch for:**
- **Green flags to prioritize:**
- **Support systems to establish:**