The Year of the U.N.I.C.O.R.N. | Power Acronym 209
A Leadership Standard Worth Living Under
What does it mean to be a Unicorn?
When I started considering what word I should use for the Power Acronym that would close 2025 and open 2026, I knew I wanted something that could function as more than inspiration.
I wanted something that could be returned to months later and still hold weight.
Something that could serve as a measure for the year.
At one point, H.O.R.S.E. was the idea.
2026 is the Year of the Fire Horse in the Chinese New Year, and that energy resonated.
But then I heard this quote:
“In a world full of horses, be a Unicorn.”
I didn’t jump to UNICORN immediately.
Seven letters felt heavy. And my mind went straight to My Little Pony and Lisa Frank—images that don’t typically speak to adulthood, responsibility, or leadership.
But the more I sat with the quote, the more curious I became.
What does it actually mean to be a Unicorn?
Setting aside the glitter, rainbows, and pop-culture caricatures, is there any real power to draw from this image?
The quote is often agreed with in passing—be different—but rarely explored.
Different how?
Different why?
And what does that look like in real leadership?
Power Acronym 209 is my answer.
U.N.I.C.O.R.N. is not about being different for difference’s sake.
It’s not about plastering a horn on your head and saying look at me.
It’s about standing up in a world where few people do.
Being ready to answer a need when no one else is answering it.
U.N.I.C.O.R.N. is a leadership standard, not a personality trait.
Power Acronym 209: U.N.I.C.O.R.N.
U — Unleashed
Unleashed is about removing internal brakes, not creating chaos.
Chelsey’s parents live on a farm with a lot of acreage. We love visiting because there’s space—quiet, open space.
Our Shih Tzu, Jig, loves it even more.
When he’s there, he gets the zoomies. Full-speed circles. Boundless energy. Not because he’s reckless—but because he feels safe.
That distinction matters.
The U.N.I.C.O.R.N. leader is Unleashed not because they lack restraint, but because they’ve removed unnecessary internal governors.
Speed limiters exist for safety.
But many leaders limit their actions, questions, and speech not for safety—but to preserve the status quo.
Being Unleashed is not recklessness.
It’s recognizing what’s blocking honest movement and removing it.
Psychological safety is a prerequisite for high-performing teams.
Without it, people don’t just hold back—they eventually shut down.
Unleashed leadership creates motion because it creates safety first.
N — Nonconforming
In his 1841 essay Self-Reliance, Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote:
“Whoso would be a man, must be a nonconformist.”
“Insist on yourself; never imitate.”
Emerson’s point is simple:
To be yourself at all requires nonconformity.
But he also warned that the world would resist you for it.
Nonconformity creates friction by definition.
That friction is not an excuse for rebellion, ego, or unprofessionalism.
Nonconformity is not about attention.
It’s about standing up rather than standing out.
The first time I was promoted was at Panera Bread. I showed up on time. I did my job. I cared about the people and the brand. That alone looked like nonconformity.
Sometimes the most nonconformist thing you can do is execute with excellence when mediocrity is the norm.
The UNICORN is not the bull in the china shop.
The UNICORN is the light in dark places.
I — Intentional
Intentional means doing something on purpose.
This Power Acronym bridges 2025 and 2026—a season filled with resolutions and intentions.
But the U.N.I.C.O.R.N. leader does not depend on the calendar to change.
People don’t fail resolutions because resolutions don’t work.
They fail because consistency ends before change compounds.
Intention gives the Unleashed Nonconformist direction.
Without it, drift is inevitable.
A rhythm of intentional, positive action reinforces belief in what’s possible.
If you want to practice intention, start here:
What do you want?
What daily actions move you closer?
Who knows your intention and can hold you accountable?
C — Creative
Creativity is how leaders shape meaning before solutions appear.
The Unicorn became powerful not because it was seen—but because it was imagined.
Stories gave it form long before evidence ever did.
Leadership works the same way.
Creativity is not artistic self-expression.
It’s using resources, people, environment, and vision to bring the future forward.
U.N.I.C.O.R.N. leaders use imagination responsibly to create solutions others can’t yet see.
As Rick Rubin writes in The Creative Act:
“Creativity is not a talent. It is a way of operating.”
O — Optimistic
Optimism is often misunderstood as wishful thinking.
It’s not.
Optimism is engagement with possibility—not denial of difficulty.
I’ve heard it many times:
“I appreciate the optimism, but I’m a realist…”
Usually followed by something that quietly drains morale.
Optimism asks a harder question:
What if it did work?
Don’t resist reality.
Resist retreat.
R — Rare
The Unicorn became legendary because it was rare.
But the U.N.I.C.O.R.N. leader’s rarity doesn’t come from special DNA.
It comes from consistency.
I recently helped a homeowner who had paid three people in advance for backyard work—each took the money and disappeared.
When I connected him with someone reliable, he said it was the first good deal he’d made in a long time.
Being Rare isn’t about doing what others can’t.
It’s about doing what others won’t.
As Marcus Aurelius wrote:
“Waste no more time arguing what a good man should be. Be one.”
N — Necessary
John Maxwell wrote that leadership is influence.
That’s true.
But the influencer age we live in can make attention seem like a prerequisite for leadership.
Attention is not leadership.
Attention is a by-product of being worthy of it.
The quality of being Necessary comes from recognizing when it’s your turn to lead—and doing so with courage.
In a world of endless content and people we can let influence us, the leaders who matter most are the ones we experience every day.
Now is the time for the U.N.I.C.O.R.N. leader.
The one who is Unleashed, Nonconforming, Intentional, Creative, Optimistic—and understands what’s Necessary.
They also operate with other values like honesty, love, gratitude, and curiosity.
But the standards of the U.N.I.C.O.R.N. serve as the the tip of the spear…or, horn?
This is not about declaring who you are.
It’s about declaring what you refuse to abandon.
What did you think about this Power Acronym?
Day 1 is approaching.
On the first day of each month in 2026, I’ll be hosting a live, Day 1 Coaching Call for paid subscribers — a space to reset, recommit, and realign.
If this resonates, I’ll see you on the 1st.