Avoid seeking credit and praise. Ignore prestige and anything you’re expected to do to obtain it. If you do enough positive work, it will eventually get noticed or become inherently visible. Goodwill is also likely to compound in the wake of good, quiet work.
The most effective, prolific people often choose to work in the shadows, not seeking attention. Large impact, few footprints. That’s because moving quietly is a form of social arbitrage in a world obsessed with attribution. Doing things quietly — even regardless of morality — shields you from scrutiny, gives you more freedom, and thereby increases your optionality.
Put simply, you can probably accomplish (and get away with) a lot more if you don’t seek credit.
“In the absence of clear indicators of what it means to be productive and valuable in their jobs, many knowledge workers turn back toward an industrial indicator of productivity: doing lots of stuff in a visible manner.”
~Cal Newport, Deep Work (Book)
“Speak softly and carry a big stick; you will go far.”
~Teddy Roosevelt
“It is amazing what you can accomplish if you do not care who gets the credit.”
~Harry S. Truman