The OGD
Whenever you see a bunch of dogs jumping around and generally being excited, inevitably there's that one dog that just lays there and waits for the food, the treat, the person to make their appearance before getting up to participate. He knows whats going to happen, but isn't going to spend a lot of energy jumping and cavorting about before hand. He knows.....he's the Old Grey Dog.
Organizations also have their Old Grey Dogs (ODGs) too. Rumors about a coming change run rampant, but the ODG just shrugs it off until something concrete happens. Nobody knows how to fix something, but the ODG has seen this before and can figure it out. The boss is stressed out because a customer is causing problems, but the OGD offers some guidance to the boss because he's been here before. (I would use 'she' as well, but most women I know don't like to be referred to as an "Old Grey Dog", so I'll keep this strictly with male pronouns.)
Every organization needs their OGDs around to keep the less experienced calm. They've been there done that. Seen it before. Solved this issue some time back. Once saw this happen and remembered how it was solved. This doesn't mean they have to be "old" to be an OGD. The best OGD person I ever knew was only 29 at the time, but had been with the company for ten years...about six more years than anyone else. He was there when the company was low on funds and had to cut pay for everyone. He was there when systems crashed and remembered how it was fixed. He was there when a customer was going to sue the company for breach of contract, but was part of the team that brought the customer back from the edge. We all went to the OGD for guidance and support. If we couldn't solve the problem, the OGD could. Sometimes the OGD would be looking over our shoulder and mention that doing it that way could lead to problems down the road. I was once in a meeting with our VP and a number of Directors, and the VP turned to the OGD and asked him what he though and if he though this was the right solution to the current problem.
Ever since then, I have always strived to be the OGD on whatever team I am on. I am never looking for fast promotions, but looking to be the problem solver on the team. I practice ABL (Always Be Learning) and keep an info base of things that I learn that might solve problems down the road. After a few years on the job, people start to remember that I solved that problem before, that I knew about that technology, that I was part of the team that sold that solution before, that I gave a training session on that. Now that I am starting to get some grey hairs, I'm even looking the part of the OGD!
Strive to be your organizations' OGD! They will thank you for it!