Belinda Carson:  GerMANY Adventures

Belinda Carson, Körber site: Dallas, USA

I had been with Körber for almost 5 years,
when they asked me a simple question: 

Would you go to Germany for six months? 

No language. 
No car. 
No familiar support system. 

My first reaction wasn’t excitement. 
It was panic. 

What about my family? 
How would I manage daily life? 
Could I really do my job in a culture I didn’t fully understand?  

And then came the second layer of questions. 
The quieter ones. 

What could I learn? 
What opportunities would this open up? 
And what would happen if I said no? 

The assignment was clear: 
Support the rollout of One Körber HR in Germany – 
and bring that experience back to North America. 

It was a professional opportunity. 
But it was also deeply personal. 

What made the decision possible wasn’t bravado. 
It was support. 

Körber didn’t just ask me to go. 
They prepared the way. 

They helped me find a place to live. 
They made sure I could navigate public transport. 
They checked in – again and again. 

And they were honest: 
This wasn’t just a temporary assignment. 
It was a step forward. 

So I said yes. 

Germany challenged me in ways I didn’t expect. 
Different communication styles. 
Different rhythms. 
Different assumptions. 

But something surprised me. 

Once I was “inside,” 
I wasn’t treated like a visitor. 

I was included. 
Looked after. 
Trusted. 

Colleagues made sure I wasn’t alone. 
Invited me to lunch. 
Checked in on me. 
Made space.  

And somewhere along the way, 
I realized something simple: 

We weren’t that different. 

The decision changed more than my résumé. 
It changed how I saw myself.  

I had gone further outside my comfort zone 
than ever before.  

No husband. 
No family. 
No familiar ground.  

Just trust – 
in the people, 
in the culture, 
and in myself.  

Looking back, that decision shaped everything that followed. 

It built relationships. 
Created visibility. 
And earned trust.  

Today, after almost 12 years with Körber, I’m in my first global HR role at Körber – 
a role that didn’t exist before. 

That step in 2019 made it possible. 

If someone asked me today what drove that decision, 
I’d say this:  

It was the belief that growth happens 
where certainty ends. 

And that at Körber, 
you’re never asked to take that step alone.