"No guts, no glory" the saying goes. Is that how you approach your work?

I know a guy that, as the PC tech at our company, ordered three $10,000 printers without consulting his boss. He installed them, and the first person he set up to print to one was the company president. We kept the printers, and he kept his job. He's now the CIO for a major insurance company. His mantra? "The worst they can do is fire you. Once you accept that, you have nothing to fear."

What risks have you taken, and how have they turned out?

I am usually not one to take risks in my job. We have to run everything by someone or risk having the wrath of God (ie the General Manager) rain down on us.