Hospitality Starts Behind the Scenes: Leadership Lessons from Dr. Jeff Ettling

A memorable guest experience rarely begins at the front gate, the register or the restaurant table. It begins behind the scenes, with the culture an organization creates, the trust leaders build, and the way team members are empowered to contribute.

In a recent episode of the 452 Hospitality Podcast, Dr. Jeff Ettling, CEO of Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens shared leadership lessons on building stronger teams, creating memorable guest experiences, and strengthening organizational culture.

Throughout the conversation, one message remained clear: hospitality is not simply something an organization provides to its guests. It begins long before a guest walks through the gate, in the way people and partners treat one another.

Leadership Lesson 1: Stay Connected to the Front Line

Dr. Ettling began his career as an animal caretaker and reptile keeper. Even as he advanced into executive leadership, he made a conscious effort to remember what it felt like to work on the front lines—and what interactions with leadership meant at that stage of his career.

That experience continues to shape the way he leads today.

Rather than remaining removed from daily operations, Dr. Ettling regularly walks the Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens campus, speaking with guests and employees throughout the organization. He also holds monthly “Coffee Chats with Dr. Jeff,” creating an informal setting where team members can ask questions, share concerns and bring forward ideas.

“You can have an open-door policy, but the same three people may be the only ones who come visit your office.”

True accessibility requires leaders to create multiple opportunities for communication. It also requires listening to perspectives from every level of the organization.

At Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens, that philosophy extends to innovation. A newly formed Innovation Committee includes invites employees from areas such as technology, art, and business operations to collaborate. By inviting diverse perspectives into the conversation, the organization is creating space for new ideas related to policy, revenue, operations, and the guest experience.

For SSA Group, this reflects an important principle of 452 Hospitality: people are more likely to create meaningful experiences for others when they first feel seen, heard, and valued themselves.

Leadership Lesson 2: Working as One Team Creates Better Guest Experiences

Exceptional hospitality depends on partners operating as one team.

During the 452 Hospitality Podcast episode, SSA Group leaders discussed the close relationship between the Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens team and SSA employees working across the campus. That relationship is built on open communication, shared planning, and commitment to the same goal.

Guests don't experience an attraction in departments—they experience it as one visit.

Whether they're buying a ticket, ordering lunch, or speaking with an educator, every interaction shapes their perception of the organization. That's why operational alignment isn't just an internal goal; it's a guest experience strategy. Dr. Ettling's perspective reinforces something SSA Group sees across its partnerships: when teams work as one, guests notice the difference.

Achieving that kind of alignment starts with the employee experience. Team members need consistent communication, training, and support. When employees feel equally informed and included, the guest experience becomes more consistent as well.

That alignment is particularly important at cultural attractions, where a visit on any given day may include admissions, dining, retail, animal encounters, educational programming and conversations with employees from several different departments.

The strongest partnerships recognize that reality and work together accordingly.

Leadership Lesson 3: Build Trust Through Visible Action

A shared philosophy is important, but words alone don't create trust.

When Dr. Ettling arrived at Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens, he entered an organization that had been led by the same individual for many years. Leadership transitions can naturally create uncertainty, especially when employees have developed a strong sense of familiarity and trust with the previous leader.

Instead of immediately introducing sweeping changes, Dr. Ettling spent his first several months listening. He met with teams across the organization, toured behind-the-scenes areas and asked consistent questions to better understand employees’ experiences.

He also demonstrated that the feedback he received would lead to action.

Trust isn't built by promises alone—it's built when leaders consistently follow through.

These same principles extend beyond the cultural attraction industry. Broader leadership research shows that experienced executives often point to trust, listening, and consistency as lessons they wish they'd learned earlier.

Over the following years, Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens reinforced that trust through action, investing in improvements across its more than 100-year-old campus. While major new projects were moving forward, the organization also reinvested in existing spaces to make sure the entire campus felt connected.

Leadership Lesson 4: Connect Hospitality to Your Mission

An exceptional guest experience does more than improve satisfaction. It can also help cultural attractions advance their missions.

For Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens, a family may initially visit to see animals, spend time outdoors, or enjoy a meal together. Through that positive experience, guests also gain greater exposure to the zoo’s conservation work and its role in protecting wildlife.

The more frequently guests return, the more opportunities the organization has to communicate that mission. But the connection goes deeper than repeat visits. When guests feel welcomed, engaged and cared for, they may also become more receptive to the ideas and values an attraction hopes to share.

Guest experience is not separate from mission delivery—it is one of the ways the mission becomes meaningful and memorable.

However, Dr. Ettling stressed that mission-based messaging must be supported by authentic action. Guests—particularly younger generations—expect organizations to demonstrate their values in visible ways.

That may include animal care, local conservation initiatives, sustainable operations, or thoughtful dining practices. Even choices such as using washable serviceware instead of disposable products can influence how guests perceive an experience. These operational decisions may seem small, but they help guests see an organization’s values in practice. In this case, the choice supports sustainability while also creating an environment where families feel invited to slow down, connect and enjoy their time together.

Leadership Lesson 5: Designing Guest Experiences for the Future

Younger audiences want to understand how organizations care for animals, support local conservation, and address broader environmental issues. They increasingly expect those commitments to be reflected throughout the guest experience.

Meeting those expectations requires organizations to listen, adapt, and communicate more effectively.

Today's guests are looking for more than entertainment—they want experiences that reflect what an organization stands for.

For cultural attractions, that means every interaction, from conservation messaging to dining choices, becomes an opportunity to reinforce trust and deepen connection.

At the same time, cultural attractions have a unique opportunity to inspire the next generation. A child standing close to a tiger, interacting with an animal, or hearing directly from a knowledgeable team member may carry that experience with them long after the visit ends.

Those moments often become the foundation for a lifelong connection to conservation and a deeper understanding of our responsibility to care for the natural world.

Hospitality as a Leadership Practice

The conversation with Dr. Ettling illustrates that 452 Hospitality is more than a guest-service philosophy—it is a leadership practice.

The most memorable guest experiences don't begin at the front gate. They begin with leaders who invest in their people, build strong partnerships, and create cultures where hospitality is lived every day.

When that happens, hospitality becomes more than great service. It becomes a powerful way to strengthen an organization's mission and the lasting connection guests feel to it.

Want to hear the full conversation? Explore the full conversation with Dr. Jeff Ettling on the 452 Hospitality Podcast for additional insights on leadership, culture, and creating exceptional guest experiences.