But self-confidence alone is not enough. An industry must have the ability to participate in shaping and it must be able to steer this - for example, by providing solid evidence of its own success. The study "Profession Press Spokesperson 2015" investigated the industry's claim to leadership.

Leadership demands involvement, acceptance and strategy
A leadership claim by PR can be clearly justified theoretically, and that is if we consider PR as communication management, that is, as the management of communication and information processes between an organization and its various stakeholders.
Only if PR claims to manage all communication processes holistically and strategically, if it is, so to speak, a relay between the inside and the outside of a company or other organization, only then can a claim to leadership be derived.
A PR that represents such an understanding not only informs on behalf of an organization, but it is firstly a responsible communicator to all stakeholders, secondly it helps to shape organizational policy due to its deep knowledge of the public and public demands.
To be able to do this, at least three criteria must be met:
- PR must be structurally integrated into the organization in a leading role, equipped with sufficient responsibility, resources and budget.
- PR must be involved in terms of content - in other words, it must be accepted by top management in particular and involved in decision-making.
- PR must act strategically, i.e., derive its goals directly from the organizational strategy and be able to demonstrate its success accordingly. For this purpose, PR must also have the appropriate methods and competencies (acquired, for example, by means of relevant training).

You can find the entire article on the third part of the study on the website of the "pressesprecher" magazine at www.pressesprecher.com.  

Source: https://www.pressesprecher.com/nachrichten/pr-eine-fuehrungsfunktion-1065093624