Leadership in a franchise system is often reduced to metrics: locations opened, units performing, marketing driving leads. That view is incomplete. In a service business, culture is the engine, and empathy is one of the few things that can protect that culture as the organization grows.

On The Bliss Business Podcast, we sat down with Alberto Ortiz, CEO and President of ATAX, to explore what empathy looks like in leadership when your teams are distributed, your clients are under stress, and your franchisees are carrying real financial risk. Alberto brings eighteen years in the tax industry, including a decade at H&R Block where he supported more than 2,700 offices, and today he leads ATAX with a mission of having fun, improving lives.

Empathy Versus Sympathy Is Not Semantics

Alberto drew a sharp line between empathy and sympathy. Sympathy can slip into commiseration, sitting in the misery with someone. Empathy is different. It is understanding what someone is going through, listening to the real concern, and then staying by their side in a way that helps them move forward.

That distinction matters because franchisees do not need a leader to feel bad with them. They need a leader who understands their reality and can help them make decisions that lead to perseverance and progress.

He added another layer that gives his empathy credibility. He has been a business owner himself. He knows what it feels like to carry the weight, not just manage it from a spreadsheet.

Availability Is a Form of Empathy

Stephen asked a question every distributed leader should sit with: how do you maintain empathy across 2,700 offices.

Alberto’s answer was not a soft concept. It was availability.

He described being transparent, letting people know his family, letting franchisees see him as a human, and then doing the harder part: being reachable. If a top performer needs something, they need it now. He shared that franchisees can book time on his calendar any day, any hour, because the last thing a leader should do is disappear when people are under pressure.

Availability is not about being endlessly on call without boundaries. It is about creating trust that help is there when it matters. In his world, that trust is part of the product.

Empathy Grows as Leaders Mature

Tullio asked how Alberto’s empathy changed over time. Alberto answered with the kind of honesty that makes leadership feel real. He described his younger self as driven and competitive, “ignorance on fire,” focused on winning even if it was “despite of people.” Then a leader challenged him with a question that changed everything: do you even know anyone on the team.

That moment shifted his leadership. He began getting to know people personally and professionally, and he learned where his own blind spot was. He said he is more of a thinker than a feeler, so empathy required him to build a different muscle. The lesson is straightforward. Empathy is not a personality trait you either have or do not. It is a skill leaders develop when they care enough to change.

Feedback Loops Are One of the Most Empathetic Systems

When the conversation moved into systems, Alberto described practices that are simple and powerful.

He uses “get to know you” sheets that cover personal preferences, including how someone likes to be recognized. He shared a story of praising a leader publicly, believing he was doing a good thing, only to learn it embarrassed her because she preferred private recognition. That feedback reshaped his approach and reinforced a key truth: empathy adapts.

He also described their annual convention as a structured feedback engine. While many organizations treat conferences as a one-way ROI event, Alberto sits in the back with a notebook and listens. Afterward, the team breaks down feedback into action horizons: what gets addressed in three days, sixty days, ninety days, one year, two years. He was clear that great ideas do not come from the top. They come from the people closest to the clients.

Empathy becomes scalable when listening is built into the operating system, and action follows the listening.

The Purpose Lens That Unlocks Turnarounds

One of the most practical leadership moments in the transcript was Alberto’s story about a struggling franchisee. An operations leader summarized performance issues and frustration. Alberto stopped the conversation and brought it back to a foundational question: what is their personal goal.

The ops leader did not know.

Alberto’s response was direct. If you do not know what motivates the franchisee personally, you cannot help them achieve business goals because personal goals drive business goals. That reframing led to a complete shift in the next one-on-one. The conversation moved from telling the franchisee what to fix to understanding why they joined, then aligning business improvements to that deeper motivation. Alberto described it as an immediate light bulb moment.

This is empathy with structure. It is curiosity that leads to performance, not sympathy that leaves people stuck.

Empathy as a Competitive Advantage in an AI World

An audience question hit something important: in a world of AI and automated tax software, can empathy be the secret weapon that keeps clients coming back.

Alberto’s answer was a clear yes.

He pointed out that more than sixty percent of taxpayers still choose to go to an office and pay a professional. The reason is not only technical accuracy. It is relationship. Clients share life events. They open up about what is happening with kids, marriages, inheritance, work changes. A tax professional becomes a trusted guide. Alberto joked that once someone has been audited, their accountant becomes more important than their spiritual leader.

His phrase for the client experience was “hugs and kisses,” not literal, but shorthand for warmth, care, and a level of personal connection that software cannot replicate. Empathy is what makes that experience real and repeatable.

“Having Fun” in a Serious Industry

A question from the audience challenged their mission: having fun. What does fun look like in such a serious industry.

Alberto explained that fun is not about treating taxes as a joke. It is about creating a distinctive, human experience and standing out in the community. ATAX uses an eagle mascot, community engagement, and client education to shift the emotional tone of the experience. People may never love taxes, but they can leave a tax appointment feeling cared for, informed, and lighter than when they arrived.

Having fun is also internal. Accountants and tax pros work intensely for 105 days. Culture matters during that sprint. Fun is part of how they keep people connected and energized.

Finding a Way to Say Yes

Purpose becomes real when it costs something.

Alberto shared a story of a franchisee in Colorado who wanted to improve her life and her family’s life but could not afford the franchise fee. Instead of saying no, ATAX financed one hundred percent of her fee. She opened her third location by age thirty and became a top performer in the system.

This is the deeper lesson behind their values. “Find a way to say yes” is not motivational language. It is an operating principle that can change someone’s life, while also accelerating growth imperatives: open locations, create fanatical fans, retain clients, and build happy, successful franchisees.

Love as a Practical Leadership Tool

When asked what role love should play in business, Alberto did not hesitate. He sees the organization as a family, often literally, with relatives opening locations and working together. He also ties love to the five love languages and uses that framework to improve recognition, communication, and engagement. The more people feel valued in the way they actually receive value, retention improves and culture strengthens.

Love, in this context, is not sentiment. It is a practical engagement tool grounded in respect, service, and connection.

One Step Leaders Can Take This Week

Alberto’s one-step recommendation was simple and sharp: get to know your team, and do not cancel your one-on-ones.

He described the worst leaders as those who hold one-on-ones just to hold them. The best leaders use one-on-ones to connect, even when there is nothing urgent to discuss. He also shared a closing question he uses consistently: “What do you have for me, and what can I do for you.” That flips the hierarchy into service.

Key Takeaways

• Empathy is understanding someone’s reality and helping them move forward, not sitting in the misery with them.
• Availability is a scalable empathy practice. Being reachable builds trust in distributed systems.
• Feedback loops are one of the most empathetic systems. Listening without action is not empathy.
• Personal goals drive business goals. Leaders must understand motivation before prescribing fixes.
• In an AI era, empathy and trust are differentiators that keep people choosing real humans.
• Love in business can be operational through recognition preferences, service mindset, and consistent connection.

Final Thoughts

Empathy at scale is not a vibe. It is availability, listening, follow-through, and systems that turn care into consistent behavior. Alberto Ortiz’s leadership at ATAX shows that franchise growth does not have to dilute humanity. In fact, the faster you grow, the more essential empathy becomes.

Check out our full conversation with Alberto Ortiz on The Bliss Business Podcast.

Originally Featured on The Bliss Business Podcast Blog