Joyce Alves Rodrigues Schultz
In this inspiring feature of Joyce Alves Rodrigues Schultz, she shares her remarkable journey of resilience from arriving in Germany without knowing the language to rising into impactful leadership roles. Joyce candidly reflects on overcoming self-doubt, navigating cultural and linguistic barriers, and building confidence as an immigrant professional. She discusses her experience in leading multicultural teams, hiring for growth in fast-paced environments, and embedding empathy and inclusion into team culture. With deep insights and practical advice, Joyce encourages others starting over in a new country to stay determined, embrace learning, and believe in their unique strengths.
Turning Barriers into Stepping Stones
We started the interview by asking, “As someone who began your journey in Germany without speaking the language and later rose to leadership roles, how did you navigate self-doubt and build confidence as an immigrant professional?”
Joyce Alves Rodrigues Schultz replied, “I arrived in Germany from Australia in 2009. Starting my journey without speaking the language was one of the most humbling and challenging experiences of my life. I lost count of how many job applications I submitted at that time—only to receive rejection after rejection. For over a year, I didn’t receive a single interview invitation, even for roles I was clearly overqualified for.
There were countless moments of self-doubt, and many times I felt completely hopeless—especially when I couldn’t express myself fully or felt professionally behind others. But I learned to turn those feelings into motivation. I’ve always been a determined person, and I chose to focus my strategy on small wins. I enrolled in an integration course and finished B1 german, took on an entry-level job where I could apply my English and Portuguese language skills, and slowly built up my confidence until I was ready to apply for roles in German.
That’s when I secured a position in HR—an area I’m truly passionate about—at a corporate company. It was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. Despite the challenges, that role gave me the chance to continually improve my German skills. I was in charge of the recruitment department, regularly interacting with C-level professionals, team leads, and candidates.
What helped me most was embracing a growth mindset. I reminded myself that language and confidence are skills—not fixed traits. I also realized that not speaking the local language fluently means you already speak at least one other fluently, which in itself is a major competitive advantage. I surrounded myself with mentors and peers who believed in me, even when I struggled to believe in myself.
Over time, this foundation helped me not only find my voice but also grow into leadership roles with empathy, resilience, and a global perspective that I carry with pride today.”
Fostering Unity in Diversity
The Worlds Times: In your experience leading multicultural teams, what strategies have you found most effective for building trust, collaboration, and high performance across different cultures?
Joyce Alves Rodrigues Schultz replied, “Leading multicultural teams has been one of the most fulfilling parts of my career. A key to success has been building a culture of psychological safety—where every team member feels respected, heard, and valued, regardless of their background. I actively promote open communication, encourage diverse perspectives, and create space for different communication styles.
With every team I lead, we collaboratively define the values that shape how we work together. Transparency and open feedback are always non-negotiable. I ensure there’s room not only for sharing ideas and celebrating achievements, but also for expressing challenges and concerns. Constructive feedback is a cornerstone of my leadership style—not just from me to the team, but also from the team to me. I want people to feel safe offering feedback about leadership, processes, or the organization itself.
I strongly believe that no customer will love your product or service until your employees do. That’s why I make it a priority to recognize and celebrate both individual and team accomplishments—big or small. Recognition fuels motivation, and motivation fuels results.
Inclusivity in decision-making is another essential principle. When people know their input matters, collaboration deepens and engagement rises. In my experience, when trust is rooted in respect and supported by empathy and understanding, high performance becomes a natural outcome.”
Building for Growth
The Worlds Times: What do you believe are the key ingredients for hiring and nurturing a high-performing team, especially in fast-moving startup and scale-up environments?
Joyce Alves Rodrigues Schultz replied, “In fast-paced startup and scale-up environments, building a high-performing team starts with being intentional about hiring—even under pressure. One of the biggest mistakes I’ve seen is hiring reactively just to fill a gap. While it might feel necessary in the short term, a poor hiring decision can cost the company significantly more in the long run—in both performance and culture.
For me, the most important factors are motivation, team fit, and mindset. Skills can be taught, but genuine enthusiasm for the company’s mission and a positive, adaptable attitude are far more difficult to develop. I’ve learned that it’s unrealistic to expect candidates to tick every box in a job description. Skills are important and some necessary for the position, for example, knowing a certain programming language, but what I put the most focus on during the interview is understanding whether they bring the right energy, determination, curiosity, and willingness to grow with the role.
Ultimately, hiring the right person means investing time to find someone who aligns with the team’s values and is excited about the journey ahead—not just someone who looks perfect on paper. That mindset is what drives sustainable high performance.”
Embedding Purpose
The Worlds Times: You’ve given workshops to startups on hiring best practices. So what core values or principles do you believe every company should embed in their recruitment and team-building strategies?
Joyce Alves Rodrigues Schultz replied, “When I give workshops on hiring best practices, I always emphasize that recruitment isn’t just about filling roles—it’s about shaping company culture and future-proofing your business. On todays job market, companies have been finding it incredible challenging to find candidates. For that reason, there are a few core principles I believe every company, no matter the size, should embed in their recruitment and team-building strategies:
Hire for mindset, not just skillset.
Technical skills can be taught, but qualities like curiosity, resilience, and a growth mindset are strong indicators of long-term success—especially in fast-paced, ever-changing environments like startups.
Prioritize culture add over culture fit.
Instead of hiring people who simply fit into the existing culture, focus on those who can enrich it. Look for candidates who bring new perspectives, innovative ideas, and creative problem-solving approaches that can strengthen and evolve your team dynamic.
Design an inclusive hiring process.
High-performing, diverse teams begin with inclusive recruitment practices. This includes broadening sourcing strategies, reducing bias in assessment, and ensuring equity at every stage—from outreach to final decision-making.
Build and nurture a talent pool.
Sourcing the right candidates takes time, especially for high-demand roles like software development. Not every candidate is ready to move immediately, but that doesn’t mean they won’t be a great fit in the future. Maintain relationships and keep a long-term perspective—today’s “not yet” might be tomorrow’s perfect hire.
Keep the interview process lean and purposeful.
Overly long hiring processes with four or five rounds can cause candidate fatigue and risk losing top talent. Aim for a streamlined process—ideally no more than three stages—and involve all key stakeholders early to enable fast, confident decision-making.”
Leading with Heart
The Worlds Times: How do you personally define ‘leading with empathy,’ and how has this approach shaped your success in managing teams and driving results in both corporate and entrepreneurial settings?
Joyce Alves Rodrigues Schultz replied, “I define leading with empathy as creating an environment where employees feel safe to share their struggles without fear of judgment or consequences. On the contrary, I actively encourage openness, because acknowledging challenges allows the entire team to learn and grow. It also enables me, as a leader, to develop the right strategies to support each individual in achieving their goals and driving results.”
Empowering New Beginnings
Lastly we asked, “What advice would you give to other immigrants or professionals starting over in a new country who want to build a meaningful, impactful career especially those facing language and cultural barriers like you once did?”
“The best advice I can give is to actively network and not be afraid of making mistakes when learning a new language or adapting to a new culture. The faster you integrate in the culture, the better. Connect with expat communities on platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and other social media channels—they can be an invaluable source of support and information. Many countries also provide excellent resources for newcomers. Germany, for example, offers integration language courses, career counseling, and job search assistance. Take the time to get well-informed and make full use of the support services available—it can make a huge difference in your transition.” Joyce Alves Rodrigues Schultz concluded
Connect with Joyce Alves Rodrigues Schultz on LinkedIn
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