It’s usually not considered positive. There are a few other expressions that you can use. One of them is “keep a low profile” – like you might say, “Although she is from a prominent family, she tends to keep a lower profile than other family members.” You can also say someone prefers to be “behind the scenes” if someone likes to do work but not be in the spotlight. Trump’s campaign manager in 2024 was someone who doesn’t like to be on TV or on the stage, but she did her work behind the scenes (probably smart; nobody can compete with Trump for attention anyway). You can say someone “prefers to stay out of the limelight.” If someone prefers to be behind the scenes, but you suspect they have something to hide, you can say, “operates in the shadows.” That implies someone has something negative to hide.