All we want to do is to be remembered, to leave a legacy. If not in the form of a celebrity, then in the form of a celebrated family member or in a social circle. The attraction for being remembered is real and humane.
The same need to be remembered, to be recognized is felt by organizations and they go at length in their own style to be remembered. The inclination to garner visibility can be a part of long-term brand-building and a consistent marketing strategy. The problem arises when this strategy becomes a manifesto for all activities conducted by an organization. For example, if an organization is in the business of providing language training services through their smartphone application, their application is inundated with their logo, color branding, and unnecessary UI components. The very fact that the user has installed their application is indicative of the customer’s interest. Furthering the marketing strategy at a level where it comes in the user’s experience of the product is not only an ineffective strategy but also the one due to which customers leave the platform.
There are times when a beneficiary wants to forget you. They do not want to be disturbed or be reminded of your presence. It is the exact opposite of marketing (but who said, it can’t be a part of your marketing strategy?) and they’re mutually exclusive. These moments are when the customer is a part of a group whom you are facilitating and another one is when the customer is interacting with your product-software or a physical one, it doesn’t matter.
Being invisible during the facilitation of ideas is a skill and hence, it can be learned. The learner needs to feel that the task is accomplished by him/her. Lest we make the mistake of thinking that this denigrates your value. The opposite is true. The learner feels empowered. And a learner, who has felt a change within him/herself is not going to forget you. This is not a trick or a tactic. This is the fundamental law that governs learning and change in the world.
The same law applies to the products and projects that you might be working on. The end-user doesn’t need us to accompany them to see their problems being solved. They need empowerment, the feeling that they’re able to do something wonderful on their own. When they get this feeling, they know whom to thank.
It is tempting to seek glamour and slip once in a while.
But, the goal is to change people from within, it doesn’t matter what field you’re working in or which kind of a social circle you are a part of.