Planning, organizing, staffing and controlling can substitute to some extent for leadership. Delegation of authority and responsibility and other tools for empowering employees decrease the need for leadership. Motivation, trust and careful development of procedures and policies are also helpful. Still, each ship needs a captain. Some leadership is necessary.
Communication is an essential skill for effective human resource management.
In human resource management, clear messages, listening and use of feedback are especially important. Interpersonal relations, interviewing in the hiring process, building rapport in the management team and with employees, orientation and training, performance interviews, conflict resolution and discipline all require communication. Mediocre communication skills tremendously complicate these activities. Training is helping people learn. Effective training requires teaching skills, an understanding of how adults prefer to learn, patience, communication, a systematic approach and evaluation of whether the training has been effective.