Leadership in Humanitarian Action
German
November 2025
Modern leadership in humanitarian organizations requires much more than organizational skills—it requires a great sense of authenticity, resilience, and the ability to act straightforwardly and engagingly in a challenging and often hectic environment. Especially in demanding situations, leaders are required to provide clear guidance, make sound decisions, and support their teams with empathy.
In this three-day training course, you will learn the basics of value-oriented and reflective leadership in the humanitarian context. You will become familiar with key leadership models and explore your own leadership style, values, and role models. Practical tools and methods will help you to apply and develop leadership skills in your everyday work.
Interactive learning formats, real-life case studies, and peer coaching encourage personal reflection and collegial exchange. The goal is to expand your own repertoire of skills, effectively meet challenges, and promote a resilient, motivating team culture—in the spirit of responsible and sustainable leadership in NGOs.
You will learn
Reflect on what leadership means to you and sharpen your personal approach.
How you can develop key leadership skills (authenticity, inspiration, networking, decisiveness, resilience).
How to apply leadership principles in challenging situations.
How to put resilience strategies and self-leadership into practice.
How to develop an individual leadership action plan for your organization.
Target group
Future leaders, project managers, and high potentials in humanitarian organizations who want to systematically develop their leadership skills and take on a value-oriented, resilient leadership role.
Schedule
Day 1: Start with Yourself
Personal values & leadership biography
Self-leadership & integrity
Introduction to the Leadership Code
Manuela Roßbach
Lecturer
Manuela Roßbach is a social scientist with many years of experience in international cooperation and humanitarian action and disaster relief. A particular focus of her work is on leadership in various roles and contexts, both nationally and internationally.
She has held and continues to hold senior positions, including as managing director, board member, and trustee in numerous renowned civil society organizations. These include CARE Germany, Aktion Deutschland Hilft, FidAR – Women on Supervisory Boards, the German Donations Council, and SOS Humanity.
Dr. Markus Moke
Lecturer
After studying political science, communication studies, and psychology, Markus Moke worked for many years in the field of international cooperation and humanitarian action. He has extensive expertise in leadership, empowerment, and systemic organizational development in the NGO sector. He combines strategic thinking with a high degree of empathy.
Markus leads international and interdisciplinary teams, accompanies change processes, and specifically promotes the self-efficacy of employees. As an experienced trainer and lecturer, he works at various universities in Germany and abroad and supports organizations in professionalizing and further developing their structures.
In addition, Markus has been a certified Sphere trainer since 2012. In collaboration with Aktion Deutschland Hilft and the Ruhr University Bochum, he led the project to translate the Sphere Handbook into German. Since then, he has regularly conducted training courses and simulation exercises on the Sphere Standards. Since 2017, he has also been active as a trainer for the Core Humanitarian Standard (CHS).
Tarek Abdelalem
Lecturer
Tarek Abdelalem was managing director of Islamic Relief Germany for over 20 years until the end of 2024. Today, he works as a management consultant in the areas of strategy, governance, and leadership, supporting NGOs in organizational development and transformation. He holds an Executive MBA from the Frankfurt School of Finance & Management and combines international leadership experience with a special focus on value orientation.
450,00€
13.11.2025 - 10.12.2025
24 hours of training
Catering included
Location
This training is organized by the Institute for International Law of Peace and Armed Conflict.