Transcript
Transcript: Preparing for the Next-Gen Public Service
[00:00:01 Text appears on screen: « Welcome. Bienvenue. »]
[00:00:07 Mélanie Robert appears on screen.]
Mélanie Robert (Executive Faculty Member, Canada School of Public Service): Hello everyone, and welcome. My name is Mélanie Robert. I have the pleasure of leading the session today. So, I am an Executive Faculty Member at the School of Public Service. I have 28 years of experience in the public sector—18 as an executive, and I am joined today by a young civil servant, Stacey Rehel, who is Acting Team Lead for Marine Protected Area Network Implementation and Chair of the professional network for Fisheries and Oceans.
So, hello and welcome, Stacey. You are part of the next generation of the public service. What draws you to the public service today?
Stacey Rehel (A/Team Lead, Fisheries and Oceans Canada): Thank you, Mélanie, and hello, everyone.
[00:00:50 Stacey Rehel appears on screen]
It is truly a pleasure to join you today. As you just mentioned, I am in fact a young public servant; I've only been part of the public service for seven years. So, I find myself among this next generation that regularly uses these digital tools on a daily basis, which we will hear more about later, and I'm noticing it more and more, not only the use of artificial intelligence, but also the generation gap in relation to AI use. So, I'm really looking forward to learning more from Dr. Pagani.
Mélanie Robert: Okay, we'll share the questions a little later, then for those of you participating, we'll take your questions. So, today's session is entitled "Laying the Groundwork for the Next Generation of the Public Service." Before I begin, I'd like to acknowledge that I am speaking to you from the traditional, unceded territory of the Algonquin Anishinaabe People. I don't know about you, but I like to always take a little time to look out the window, to reflect on the significance of the place we are in, to think about the past and present Indigenous generations who have protected these lands.
So, here's what you need to know for today. First, after the presentation, we're going to have a question and answer session today. Regarding your questions, I encourage you to submit them to the speaker throughout the presentation using the speech bubble icon in your webcasting interface, and we will take questions at the end of the presentation.
Today's session will explore how digital tools, including generative artificial intelligence, are reshaping the way people—and particularly young people—think, interact and work. We know that these technologies influence how we communicate and process information. At the same time, organizations are increasingly thinking about how they can promote balanced digital habits. What many organizations want to create, in fact, are new habits that will foster not only more sustainable engagement from the next generation of employees, but also their well-being—and in fact the well-being of all generations coexisting in the workplace.
What we want to understand is the impact of using these technologies on the workplace, the negative impacts, the positive impacts, the changes that take place. What we want is to be able to control these changes a little better and get our bearings. So, the goal is to have a workplace that promotes resilience, autonomy, inclusion, productivity, long-term success and well-being.
We are therefore very pleased to welcome our speaker today, Professor Linda S. Pagani, who is a professor of psychoeducation at the Université de Montréal.
[00:03:39 Linda S. Pagani appears on screen.]
She is also a clinician and researcher at the CHU Sainte-Justine Research Centre. Her work focuses on developmental psychology, psychoeducation and the long-term effects of technology on young people. Professor Pagani is a leading expert in the field of the influence of digital environments on behaviour, cognition and social development.
Today, she will be presenting data on the effects of technology use as well as the evolution of expectations in the workplace. She will then share strategies to support the psychosocial adjustment of new workers and the well-being of everyone.
Essentially, she's going to help us understand how our organizations can create environments that are healthier and better prepared for the future, where all our employees, all of us, can be more productive and truly thrive. With that, please join me in welcoming Professor Linda S. Pagani. Over to you, Linda.
[00:05:09 Text appears on screen:
"Sustainable well-being among Gen Z
Original content protected. The ideas and concepts are derived from my work and may not be reproduced without my consent.
Linda S. Pagani Ph.D.
Professor and researcher
(Umontreal.ca)
Psychology (OPQ)
Linda.s.pagani@umontreal.ca". ]
Linda S. Pagani (Professor of Psychoeduation, University of Montreal): Thank you very much, and I just want to express how grateful I am to be with you today. So, today, I'm going to be presenting some content from my course called "Sustainable Well-being," in addition to some basic information on different generations. Because, before we start, it's interesting how we're going to do this today, because the questions will really be after an information session like we're going to do.
[00:05:21 Text appears on screen:
"Game Plan"
∙ Generational differences
∙ Influential factors
∙ Sustainable well-being: how?
∙ Person-environment fit
∙ Adversity: What to do to get there?]
So, here's the game plan. The first thing I'm going to address is generational differences. Then after that, I'm going to talk about influential factors. Some factors are going to be surprising. After that, we'll talk about sustainable well-being, what it means and how, and I would like to spend a few moments talking to you about the person-environment fit, because it directly relates to integration at work. And then, we'll finish the presentation with what to do when facing adversity.
[00:06:04 Cartoon representations of the various generations appear on screen, with a description of year range of their birth dates underneath.
Text appears on screen:
- Builders Born: < 1946
- Boomers Born: 1946 - 1964
- Generation X Born: 1965 - 1979
- Generation Y Born: 1980 - 1994
- Generation Z Born: 1995 - 2009
- Gen Alpha Born: 2010 - 2024
Source: Mccrindle.com.au]
So, the first thing we'll discuss is the different generations you see here. Those born before 1946 are what we call the Traditionalists or the Builders. Then we have the Baby Boomers, who were born between 1946 and 1964. We have Gen X, who were born between 1965 and 1979. Then, we have "Millennials," Generation Y, who were born between '80 and '94, and we have Gen Z and Generation Alpha, who were born from 1995 onwards.
[00:06:46 Text appears on screen:
"The traditionalists (silent generation, the builders)
Born: 1928-1945
- The last collectivist generation
- Principled, disciplined, loyal
- Respect for hierarchy and traditional values
- Hard work, patriotism, family, duty
- Strengths: Reliability, experience, strong ethics
- Risks/Challenges: Adapting to technology, isolation, and stigma related to mental health
Dr. Linda Pagani, 2025".]
So, just pointing out that the Builders are traditionalists. Life was very different back then than it is today. They saw the slow advent of electricity in the home. They saw the slow advent of the telephone. They watched cars slowly become part of the urban landscape. It really was a much simpler life, with a very big emphasis on hard work, patriotism and morality.
[00:07:30 Text appears on screen:
"Baby-boomers
Born: 1946-1964
- Key characteristics: Competitive, ambitious, and loyal workers
- Values: Individualism, financial security, civic engagement
- Strengths: Leadership, communication, stability
- Risks/Challenges: Technological resistance, burnout, adjusting to retirement
Dr. Linda Pagani, 2025".]
Then, we have Baby Boomers, who were born after the Second World War. The economy was doing really well after the wars. There was a great deal of work for everyone. So, these children experienced a great deal of economic wealth compared to their parents, the traditionalists, and that's where we start to see the traits of individualism quietly taking hold. There isn't a whole lot of technology, but at the same time, people are starting to talk about TVs, people are starting to say that one day there'll be computers.
Then, we have Generation X. We see that individualism is quietly becoming more important.
[00:08:30 Text appears on screen
« Génération X
- Naissance : 1965-1980
- Caractéristiques principales : Indépendants, sceptiques, entrepreneurs
- Valeurs : Équilibre entre vie professionnelle et vie privée, flexibilité, autonomie, individualisme accru
- Points forts : Adaptabilité, résolution de problèmes, leadership
- Risques/Défis : Le stress de la génération sandwich, moins orientée vers le travail d'équipe
Dre Linda Pagani, psychologue 2025».]
These are people who saw some big advances, like the first person on the Moon.
[00:08:39 Text appears on screen:
"Generation Y - Millennial
- Born: 1981-1996
- Key characteristics: Technologically savvy, inclusive, goal-oriented
- Values: Sustainability, activism, work-life integration, individualism
- Strengths: Educational, adaptable, collaborative
- Risks/Challenges: Financial stress, anxiety, delayed life milestones
Dr. Linda Pagani, 2025".]
Next, we have Generation Y, known as Millennials. They really saw it all begin, they were born in the dawn of the "World Wide Web," the Internet, in a very basic format. I actually remember the basic version of email and all that. This generation nevertheless experienced difficulties that the population as a whole experienced in terms of recession. But one thing is certain, with the advent of all these technologies and with computers already being in every home, they are more efficient than previous generations.
[00:09:34 Text appears on screen:
"Generation Z
- Born: 1997-2012
- Key characteristics: Digital natives, socially conscious, entrepreneurial, individualistic
- Values: Mental health, authenticity, financial literacy
- Strengths: Independent, ethical consumers, tech-savvy
- Risks/Challenges: Anxiety, misinformation, authority conflict
Dr. Linda Pagani, 2025".]
Then, we have Generation Z. This generation is very relevant to me today because of their integration into the job market and into universities. These are young people who were born in the mid-'90s. So, they are truly digital natives. They are people who are very socially conscious. These Gen Z—Gen "Zee" or Gen "Zed" as we call them—children were raised as a priority, and it's interesting because these children experienced very few difficulties compared to previous generations. When I say difficulties, I mean that life was much harder before Gen Z.
[00:10:38 Text appears on screen:
"Generation Alpha
- Born: 2013-présent
- Key characteristics: Immersed in AI, visual learners, highly connected
- Values: Climate awareness, instant access, global perspectives
- Strengths: Rapid technology adoption, inclusive and collaborative
- Risks/Challenges: Screen dependency, attention span, offline resilience
Dr. Linda Pagani, psychologue 2025".]
And then, we have Generation Alpha, born around 2010, 2013, who are truly immersed in AI. They are very visual, they are highly connected.
[00:10:52 Text appears on screen:
"Generation Z (born around 1995) and Generation Y (born around 1980) aspire to a work environment that aligns with their values, their need for flexibility, and their quest for meaning. Micromanagement is seen as an outdated method. These generations prefer to be autonomous, involved in decision-making, and evaluated on their results rather than on their compliance with imposed procedures."
"Raised in a culture where leisure activities played a central ole, often accompanied by "helicopter" or "taxi" parents, these young adults value freedom, flexibility, autonomy, and respect for their personal pace:
In terms of autonomy, they expect:
- More control over their schedule
- A professional environment that respects their beliefs
- Meaningful work that is part of a collective and responsible approach
In terms of flexibility, they expect:
- The ability to work from anywhere, at any time
- Conditions that promote efficiency without rigidity
- An approach that values accountability rather than control
Companies and institutions that fail to adapt to this vision risk losing competitiveness and encountering increasing difficulties in attracting and retaining the most sought-after talent. Generations Y and Z favor environments what allow them to balance their personal and professional lives, while offering them recognition and social utility.]
So, I just want to take a few seconds to talk about Gen Z—I hope I'm not going too fast. But at the same time, these are people who were raised in a culture where leisure activities were very important. I remember, I raised three Gen Zs myself. I drove them all over the place for activities, sports and everything. So, we parents conveyed that a balanced life is very important.
So, for them, their autonomy at work, in universities, is very important. They like being in control of their time because they were raised that way. We're talking about people who are very, very strong in their convictions, and these are also people who really need their lives and work to be meaningful, because it's very hard for them if their life or work doesn't have meaning. In terms of flexibility, they want a lot of flexibility in meeting their work requirements. They do not like things being too rigid. They place high value on taking responsibility themselves.
[00:12:32 Two images appear on the screen. The first, under the word 'individualism,' shows a person with arrows pointing toward them. The second, under the word 'collectivism,' shows a person with arrows pointing in the opposite direction.]
Remember, they were raised in an environment of individualism, meaning that often individualism was the instinct that was developed and relied on. They were raised by helicopter parents who hovered over them constantly: the birth rate had been very, very low since the 1970s, meaning people were having fewer and fewer children, so parents were very individualistic and very preoccupied with them.
This generation was also raised in a very hyperconnected environment, and today they have adapted to that. Unobtrusively, I would say that they are really hyperconnectivity natives, but at the same time, there is a certain cognitive offloading that is happening, because previous generations did calculations by hand, previous generations needed to think, to write a text for example, many thoughts were required to produce, for example, a text or assignment. Today, everything is at your fingertips. So, there is a lot of offloading, and less effort required in everyday life.
[00:14:14 chart is shown that shows Decision Fatigue and how Decision Quality decreases with Decision Quantity.]
This generation experiences a lot of decision fatigue every day because, in the past, parents made many decisions for them. So, they were well served, but at the same time, adult life and entering adulthood is difficult for them because there are so many decisions. They're being bombarded, and they're not used to it. So, it's a big adjustment.
Social media plays quite an important role in their lives. It's also because we are very social beings. We survived for 300,000 years as part of a community, so there are still traces of that need in the brain, even though people are more individualistic. All of this leads to an identity overload, because social media gives these people a lot of information all at once, and sometimes it's an information overload.
There is also so much self-expression on social media that it increases the desire to express oneself, and it also makes uniqueness more important in all this, because on social media, that's the message that's sent, it reinforces individualism, little by little, through small, implied messages. So, this spurs a bit of an identity crisis in those approaching adulthood.
One of the things I teach in my course, which is very stoic, is to help them be more down-to-earth. Firstly, it's about understanding that life is limited. It starts, we're born, and we die. So, we need to put this into perspective before we start getting too stressed about too many things.
Next, another very stoic thing that I try to work on a lot with my young Gen Z patients is the idea of liking facts. In life, there are facts, there are good facts, there are less good facts, but we must and we need to try to have the heart for hardship or the heart for the struggle to survive in everyday life.
[00:17:07 A graphic appears on screen showing Erickson's 8 stages of social development and includes the text:
"The 8 Stages of Social Development - Erickson
Trust vs. Mistrust (0-18 months)
I am what I am given.
Autonomy vs. Doubt (18 months - 3 years)
Can I accomplish things on my own or should I always depend on others?
Initiative vs. Guilt (3-6 years)
Am I good or bad?
Capable vs. Inferiority (6-11 years)
Am I capable or incapable?
Identity vs. Role Confusion (12-18 years)
Who am I and where am I going?
Intimacy vs. Isolation (18-34 years)
Do I want to share my life with someone or live alone?
Generativity vs. Stagnation (35–65 years)
Have I produced something of real value?
Personal Integrity vs. Hopelessness (> 65 years)
Have I lived a fulfilling life?
The Child's Brain
Source: Wikipedia
Fig. 10.21 The eight psychosocial crises that an individual must overcome during their life, according to Erikson.
1st Crisis: Fundamental Trust or Mistrust
2nd Crisis: Autonomy or Shame and Doubt
3rd Crisis: Initiative or Guilt
4th Crisis: Work or Inferiority
5th Crisis: Identity or Role Confusion
6th Crisis: Intimacy or Isolation
7th Crisis: Generativity or Stagnation
1st Crisis: Personal Integrity or Despair".]
Social development, human development means that we have crises that are psychosocial in every developmental period. So, from 0 to 18 months, we have a crisis that will help us develop confidence. From 18 months to 3 years old, we develop our autonomy. From age 3 to 6, we develop our initiative, our motivation. Then, from 6 to 11 years old, we develop our productivity. And from age 12, today, up to age 30, we develop our identity, and identity is based on all the other virtues that we've developed before that period. So, the concept of productivity, the concept of initiative, autonomy and confidence, which were all developed during previous periods.
[00:18:16 A graphic appears on the screen of the PERMA model of well-being. Text reads:
"The PERMA model of well-being
Well-being defined by five elements of current happiness in one's life (pleasure). Resilience comes from motivation.
Martin Seligman."
A pie chart is separated into following segments:
Feelings, happiness, satisfaction in life
Optimal experience or flow
Intimate and more fleeting relationships, sharing powerful moments with others
Purpose in life, serving a cause that transcends ourselves
Successes, Achievements, Victories."]
To be very happy in life, you need to have five elements. This is called the PERMA model: there are positive emotions that we experience every day, and we must acknowledge them every day. So, I often tell people, we need to experience joy every day. I have my coffee and say, "Ah, that's good! That's a good coffee." So, it's like the expression "to smell the roses," it's the same thing. Every day, we need to stop and experience positive emotions. If we tell ourselves that we are not experiencing positive emotions, we need to relearn them.
Next, you need to have an optimal experience every day. Optimal experience here means calm focus, and I'm telling you that there are ways to develop this calm focus. I'm going to tell you about it.
[00:19:59 A character strengths chart appears on the screen. The text reads:
"Character Strengths
The 24 strengths are grouped into 6 virtues.
Strength ranks: Higher scores indicate that a particular strength is more pronounced and natural in your daily life.
24 Character Strengths
And some associated behaviors
Wisdom
Finding new (constructive) ways of thinking and acting
Finding pleasure in discovering new things
Analyzing rationally and knowing how to question oneself
Seeking to learn and acquire new skills
Courage
Acting according to one's convictions despite fear, pain, or difficulty
Seeking to pursue one's action until the end despite obstacles
Acting sincerely, authentically, and responsibly; telling the truth
Embarking on something with joy, dynamism, and admiration
Humanity
Seeking to make positive relationships more intense and profound
Offering and acting positively towards others, taking care of them
- Prevenance (Kindness/Thoughtfulness)
Acting according to the feelings of others, without forgetting one's own
Transcendence
Noticing and appreciating beauty, excellence, and performance
Showing recognition for the good things that happen, saying thank you
Acting in such a way that the positive expected events in the future occur
Laughing, making people laugh, teasing, making jokes, highlighting what is funny in a situation
Finding a coherent and positive meaning to one's existence, to one's actions, or those of others
Temperance
Forgiving those who have done wrong, accepting their shortcomings, giving other chances
Voluntarily lowering oneself to one's acts and not showing pride or arrogance
Not taking excessive risks or acting in a way that could become regrettable
Keeping control of one's behaviors despite emotional or external pressures
Justice
Remaining faithful to one's commitments and respecting the rights of others
Acting while respecting what is due to everyone despite one's personal feelings
Encouraging a group to act constructively while maintaining good relationships"]
Next, positive relationships every day are very important, and a sense of meaning in life—very, very important. Meaning in life is defined as serving a purpose greater than oneself, extending to the world around us. Then, every day, you need to feel a sense of accomplishment. This is very, very important. These things need to be experienced every day. So, the PERMA model is very important. I invite you to read up about PERMA.
Next, how can we develop a very high potential, a very high performance capacity, on a daily basis? Well, I suggest you identify your 24 character strengths. Because if you engage these 24 character strengths every day in your daily life, you will always be in a state of calm focus, be in good relationships with people, and have a sense of accomplishment and positive emotions. So, you can do this now, if you want to identify yours, type "VIA character strengths" in Google, and you'll find them. You will find a psychometric instrument to determine these character strengths. So, I invite you to do that.
[00:21:04 Text appears on screen:
"The 24 Strengths
The first five are your signature or emblematic strengths. These strengths (flow) are expressed more naturally in your daily life. Strengths 6 to 18 have been developed through experiences and challenges throughout your life. The last five represent strengths to be cultivated in order to reach your full existential potential: self-actualisation."
A wheel shows the strengths separated into 6 wedges:
"Wisdom
- Creativity
- Curiosity
- Discernment
- Love of Learning
- Perspective
- Courage
- Courage
- Perseverance
- Honesty
- Enthusiasm
Humanity
- Love
- Kindness
- Social
Justice
- Teamwork
- Fairness
- Leadership
Temperance
- Forgiveness
- Humility
- Prudence
- Self-Regulation
Transcendence
- Appreciation of Beauty
- Gratitude
- Optimism
- Humor
- Spirituality"]
The top five are the most important because character strengths vary in each person, so they are ranked, in a way. For example, for me, discernment is my first character strength. My second and third are creativity and curiosity, and my fourth is appreciation of beauty and excellence, and fifth is kindness, which I value highly and comes naturally.
So, memorize your top five because they are your signature strengths and you can always stay in this "safety zone" to be able to perform at your best and have an optimal experience of calm and focus.
Strengths number 6 to 18 are the strengths you've developed over the years. So, as I said, each person is unique because we each have five strengths that are our signature strengths, then numbers 6 to 18 are our other strengths. This is specific to our personality profile. And so, it's interesting to know which ones we have developed through experiences and challenges in life.
The last five are the strengths that still need to be cultivated for us to reach our full potential. So, if you're Gen Z, I'm catching you at a good time because by doing the VIA Character Strengths Survey on the authentichappiness.org website—well, there are plenty of sites that do the VIA Character Strengths Survey—it will truly give you the secret to navigating life well, and you will find that it fulfils your need to be unique.
[00:23:36 Text on screen:
"The VIA Classification of Character Strengths and Virtues
VIRTUE OF Courage"
BRAVERY
Shows courage, does not back down in the face of fear, stands up for what is right
PERSEVERANCE
Persistent, hardworking, completes what they start
HONESTY
Authentic, trustworthy, sincere
VITALITY
Enthusiastic, energetic, fully engaged in their actions"]
[00:23:50 Text on screen:
"The VIA Classification of Character Strengths and Virtues
VIRTUE OF Humanity"
LOVE
Warm, genuine, values close relationships
KINDNESS
Generous, caring, compassionate, altruistic
SOCIAL INTELLIGENCE
Aware of others' motives and feelings, understands what drives people"]
[00:23:54 Text on screen:
"The VIA Classification of Character Strengths and Virtues
VIRTUE OF Justice"
TEAMWORK
A fully contributing team member, socially responsible, loyal
FAIRNESS
Just and impartial, does not let personal feelings influence their judgment of others
LEADERSHIP
Organizes group activities, motivates a group to complete tasks"]
[00:23:56 Text on screen:
"The VIA Classification of Character Strengths and Virtues
VIRTUE OF Temperance"
FORGIVENESS
Forgiving, accepts others' shortcomings, gives people a second chance
HUMILITY
Modest, lets their achievements speak for themselves
PRUDENCE
Careful, cautious, avoids unnecessary risks
SELF‑REGULATION
Self‑controlled, manages impulses and emotions"]
[00:23:59 Text on screen:
The 24 character strengths are listed in a table, accompanied by the following text:
I think of new ways to accomplish tasks.
I am interested in learning and discovering more about the world.
I value relationships and closeness with others.
I treat people equally and without bias.
I am careful when making decisions.
I am optimistic and expect the best.
I think carefully about new ideas and evaluate evidence.
I am an authentic person who tells the truth and acts responsibly.
I enjoy helping and serving others.
I accept and move past the hurt caused by others' actions.
I don't see myself as superior and allow others to shine.
I enjoy laughing, making jokes, and creating joy.
I enjoy mastering new concepts.
I face challenges, show resilience, and act according to my convictions.
I am aware of others' feelings.
I am disciplined and controlled in my responses.
I value excellence, beauty, and skill in life.
I believe in a higher purpose and hold strong convictions.
I give advice and help others see multiple viewpoints.
I am enthusiastic and energetic.
I work well with others and am a loyal member of a group.
I organize, encourage, and motivate others to achieve team goals.
(Note: The original text lists the term but no description.)
I finish what I start and overcome obstacles and challenges."]
So, here they are. As I said, there are 24, and I'm just going to repeat them because the 24 fall into six virtues: the virtue of courage, the virtue of humanity, the virtue of justice, the virtue of temperance [sic].
So, I just want to give you a general idea of what it could be like if you identify them. So, I encourage you to do this because it's important for performing well at work, having positive relationships, and experiencing feelings of accomplishment and positive emotions.
These are character strengths, because they are unique to each person. There are 24 character strengths across humanity, regardless of culture, regardless of religion, regardless of place in the world. So, it's really something that's true for all humans. But as I said, the 24 character strengths are ranked differently for each person. There are approximately 5.3 million variations of character configurations. So, you can find out what makes you unique, and your uniqueness shines like a light on others and your work when you use your character strengths.
[00:25:22 Text appears on screen stating:
A good fit between the individual and the environment promotes well-being and commitment, while a mismatch can lead to discomfort and dissatisfaction.
Self-reflection is key to understanding.
Alignment between characteristics of people and their environment results in positive outcome for both individuals and organization.]
Just a few more things before I finish. The person-environment fit is an extremely important topic in organizations and institutions. It is extremely important that there be an alignment between the characteristics of individuals and their environment to have a positive outcome for not only the individual, but also organizations. So, how do we do that?
[00:25:59 A chart for a Myers-Briggs Type Indicator test is shown on the screen with the following text:
"Our individual predispositions, including those related to lifestyle, which stem from our most pronounced personality traits, influence the fit between the person and their environment."]
How do we facilitate that? I am often asked how we can facilitate that. Personality profiles are very helpful in discovering how we can better fit into our environment.
There are four lifestyle characteristics that affect personality profile. So, we have extremes: we have extroversion and introversion as extremes. So, this is how we direct our energy towards the world. The ways we perceive the world around us, the decision criteria we use in everyday life is typical and becomes habit, and also, our lifestyle in information processing.
[00:26:57 A graphic is displayed outlining the 16 different personality types under the MBTI. Text outlines the following 4 categories and 16 individual types based on the MBTI classifications:
"The Analysts
- Architect
- Logician
- Commander
- Debater
The Diplomats
- Advocate
- Mediator
- Protagonist
- Campaigner
The Sentinels
- Logistician
- Defender
- Executive
- Consul
The Explorers
- Virtuoso
- Adventurer
- Entrepreneur
- Entertainer"]
[00:27:16 A graphic is displayed outlining the 16 different personality types under the MBTI. Text outlines the following 4 categories and 16 individual types based on the MBTI classifications:
"Analysts
Imaginative and strategic thinkers, with a plan for everything.
Innovative inventors with an unquenchable thirst for knowledge.
Bold, imaginative and strong-willed leaders, always finding a way – or making one.
Smart and curious thinkers who cannot resist an intellectual challenge.
Sentinels
Practical and fact-minded individuals, whose reliability cannot be doubted.
Very dedicated and warm protectors, always ready to defend their loved ones.
Excellent administrators, unsurpassed at managing things – or people.
Extraordinarily caring, social and popular people, always eager to help.
Diplomats
Quiet and mystical, yet very inspiring and tireless idealists.
Poetic, kind and altruistic people, always eager to help a good cause.
Charismatic and inspiring leaders, able to mesmerize their listeners.
Enthusiastic, creative and sociable free spirits, who can always find a reason to smile.
Explorers
Bold and practical experimenters, masters of all kinds of tools.
Flexible and charming artists, always ready to explore and experience something new.
Smart, energetic and very perceptive people, who truly enjoy living on the edge.
Spontaneous, energetic and enthusiastic people – life is never boring around them."]
So that brings us to 16 different personality profiles, and this is a key point I often tell my university students in class: if they really want to fit into a team, it's important not to be someone else. In times of crisis, every generation was told "Just be yourself." "Let's be ourselves." The problem is that we don't know what "just being ourselves" means. So, knowing your personality profile can really help you in knowing how you could better integrate into your environment.
So, for example, since I am a protagonist, I cannot be a mediator, an advocate or anything else, because I naturally play the role of a protagonist. So, knowing that, I know that in a team environment, I'm at my best and my calmest, I have positive emotions when I play the role of who I really am.
So, I encourage you to go to the 16 Personalities website and take the test, which takes about 15 minutes. It's really great because on the site, there's a lot of information about your personality and how to integrate better with others.
It's incredible to me how often we spend an enormous amount of time in a year reading our horoscope, which really isn't based on science, but character strengths and personality profile are based on science.
[00:28:43 A graphic is shown outlining the:
« Les Intelligences Multiples
Intelligence Naturaliste
Intelligence Musicale
Intelligence Logique
Intelligence Existentielle
Intelligence Interpersonnelle
Intelligence Corporelle
Intelligence Linguistique
Intelligence Intra-personnelle
Intelligence Spatiale »]
[00:29:21A graphic is shown outlining the:
"Multiple Intelligences
Naturalist
- understanding nature and organic processes
Spatial
- seeing and mapping the world in 3d
Musical
- capacity to recognize, create, reproduce, and reflect on music
Logical-reasoning
- skilled at deductive reasoning, detecting patterns, and logical thinking
Interpersonal
- communicating and reading people
Bodily-kinesthetic
- Using one's body in highly differentiated and skilled ways
Linguistic
- a master of spoken and written language
Intra-personal
- understanding yourself, what you feel, and what you want"]
Another thing you can do is reflect on your multiple intelligences. When we think of intelligence, we think of IQ, which is just a score. But for me, when I work with patients, especially young adults, one of the things we reflect on together is how to rank all these different levels of intelligence. We rank them to say, well, I'm really great at this, I'm less good at that, but they're all different intelligences that shape who we are in life. As I said, when you know who you are and know your character strengths, you are better equipped to perform in life.
[00:29:51 The following text appears on screen:
"Four secrets
Stress refers to a psychological and physiological response to perceived challenges or threats, which often leads to increased arousal and anxiety.
This tension often refers to the negative impact on an individual's wellbeing, performance or health due to a prolonged or intense response.
This has been misunderstood and reduced to a survival strategy rather than a growth strategy. – Lazarus and Folkman, 1984"]
Now, I would like to offer you four secrets. First, remember that the word stress is overused. It refers to a psychological and physiological response. I just want you to know that we tend to use that word a lot, and that word has made people less emotionally intelligent because we always use that word instead of using the specific term.
So, I encourage you to be specific in speaking about your emotions. There are so many to choose from. Stop always saying that you're stressed as part of your vocabulary—it diminishes your emotional intelligence. So, that's a really good tip.
[00:30:25 The following text appears on screen:
"Look carefully. Have you noticed anything really remarkable?
Emotional intelligence involves naming the emotion instead of saying "stressed"...
Brené Brown, University of Houston.
From:
Brown, B. (2021). Atlas of the heart, mapping meaningful connection and the language of human experience. First edition. New York, Random House."
An image of The Wheel of Emotions by Abby VanMuijen lists the 87 emotions described by Brené Brown.]
[00:30:57 The following text appears on screen:
When individuals have control over the stressor, problem-focused coping involves taking active steps to address the stressor, such as planning, seeking information and strategies, and problem solving.
When stressors are beyond your control, emotion-focused coping aims to manage emotional responses to stress rather than the stressor itself, as mindfulness, meditation, relaxation, cognitive restructuring, and even distraction are emotion-focused.
Social support refers to human relationships that can facilitate either problem solving or emotional self-regulation.
- Lazarus and Folkman, 1984]
Second, try to use a good combination of coping strategies. So, when the situation is out of your control, you still need to capitalize on emotional control, because the situation's out of your control, but there are things in life that are within your control. So, the things in life that are within our control, that's where we can try to problem solve, where we can plan, gather information and do all the things involved in doing something within our control.
Obviously, often situations are a mix of the two, a mixture of things that are out of our control and things that are within our control. We need to identify what is within our control and practise planning, gathering information and problem-solving for the things that are within our control, and that's often a pretty big mistake.
[00:32:27 Text appears on screen:
« A stress‑inducing mindset increases emotional distress and will reduce performance.
Bosshard M, Gomez P. Effectiveness of stress arousal reappraisal and stress-is-enhancing mindset interventions on task performance outcomes: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled traits. Scientific Reports. 2024 Apr 4; 14(1):7923.
Yeager DS, Bryan CJ, Gross JJ, Murray JS, Krettek Cobb D, HF Santos P, Gravelding H, Johnson M, Jamieson JP, A synergistic mindsets intervention protects adolescents from stress. Nature. 2022 Jul 21;607(7919):512-20. »]
Another thing, people need to stop viewing the word stress and everything that requires effort, everything that's a challenge, as a performance inhibitor. We should view it differently, instead of saying that we're anxious, I think we should say that we're energized.
[00:32:40 The following text appears on screen:
Stress as a performance enhancer mindset
Any challenge or difficulty, when effectively harnessed by the stress mindset as a driver of performance, can be a powerful force for growth and peak performance.
The endgame should be significant growth, shouldn't it?]
Use words that are more optimistic to convey to the brain that our mindset is there to improve our performance. So, I think we can change our mindset as a driver of performance.
[00:33:22 The following text appears on screen:
A growth mindset means that you embrace challenges and continually develop your knowledge and talents through hard work.
This correlates with better academic results, less stress, a greater love of learning and exploration, and increased resilience and self-esteem.
Dweck, C. S. (2024). Personal perspectives on mindsets, motivation, and psychology. Motivation Science, 10(1), 1.
https://youtu.be/2nF90sAW-Yg and https://Youtu.be/KUWn_TJTrnU"]
And lastly, I think it's important to always look at life from a growth mindset. Maybe we weren't perfect today, but tomorrow we'll try to be better, and that's very important when we're thinking back on the day we just had. There are definitely times in the day, even the worst days, when we can still find something positive, or something we are grateful for that went well.
[00:34:16 The following text appears on screen:
"Fixed mindset
Wants to appear intelligent and tends to:
- Avoid challenges
- Give up when there are obstacles
- See effort as pointless
- Reject constructive feedback and take it as criticism
- Feels threatened by the success of others"
A growth mindset wants to develop its knowledge and tends to:
- Accept challenges
- Persevere even when faced with difficulties
- View effort as a path to mastery
- Learn from constructive criticism
- Be inspired by the success of others"]
So, I think it's very important to adopt a growth mindset every day because it helps us learn to accept challenges and persevere, and also to learn and be inspired towards eventual success.
So, let me conclude by saying that each of us is on a hero's journey, and that's how it has to be. So, on a hero's journey, all sorts of things can happen. I invite you, if you want, to ask AI to tell you about Joseph Campbell's Hero's Journey, and you'll understand what I'm talking about. He wrote that book in 1949, and I use it a lot as a metaphor in my work. I do a lot of intervention work, so I work a lot with people who are in crisis.
[00:35:30 Pagani shows the results of her MBTI test accompanied by the following text :
"The protagonists are the personality type most likely to remain hopeful despite all obstacles."
The Character strengths highlighted are: creativity, curiosity, judgement, generosity, sense of beauty and excellence.
And she is identified as Protagonista (ENFJ)]
So, that's me, and all I've just said is despite all the factors that lead us to be bombarded every day, and that often put pressure on young adults and teenagers today, beyond what Traditionalists and even Baby Boomers and Gen Xers went through, given that those generations had a far less complicated life and youth.
[00:36:29 The following text appears on screen:
« Thank you!
Linda S. Pagani Ph.D. Professor and research (00) (1) 514-343-6111, extension 2524 Linda.s.pagani@umontreal.ca
Université de Montréal FAS – School of Psychoeducation http://psyced.umontreal.ca
Laval Campus
1700, rue Jacques-Tetréault Laval, Québec, Canada H7N 0B6 »]
I encourage you to consider your character strengths. I encourage you to explore what your character strengths are, and also to find out your personality profile. This will help you enormously to integrate into your environment. So, I'll end it there to not take up too much time.
Mélanie Robert: Thank you very much. That was really excellent with lots of very specific advice. I already have some questions. People have started asking questions. I encourage you to ask questions while we begin the discussion. I would like to hand the first question over to Stacey, who from the younger generation. So, Stacey, you can go ahead with the first question.
Stacey Rehel: Thank you very much, Mélanie, and thank you very much, Dr. Pagani. I identify strongly with all the content you presented today, being Generation Y, or a "Millennial," as they say. So, for our first question, what are the signs of unhealthy use of digital tools in an organization, either by employers or by employees? Sorry.
Linda S. Pagani: Well, it's like younger kids in high school, it's the same thing, I would say, and it's like what we see at university, we have to be able to shut everything out and be fully focused on what we're doing. So, when the workday begins, we should be in a work mindset. I tell my university students, when class starts, phones are off. If it's used as a work tool, that's different, but at the same time, it's not everyone that works in social media.
So, today we are often heavily influenced to want to scroll because algorithms are designed to manipulate the brain. So, everything is rigged today. Everything, everything, everything is rigged. We go on Amazon for a handbag, we are bombarded with a thousand and one handbag options. We can't talk in the house anymore because Alexa will hear us and then we'll be bombarded.
So, what we really need to understand is that scrolling doesn't get us anywhere. In life, scrolling doesn't get us anywhere. We need to use our phones and all applications as tools, not as a crutch. It's better to build relationships in real time, even if we're just discussing how nice the weather is; it's much better for mental health than scrolling.
Mélanie Robert: That's great. I would like to follow up on something you said a little earlier. You mentioned that cognitive offloading is very frightening. You [inaudible] this slide. I also heard you mention another term. On the radio, you talk about being mentally sedentary as a problem. I think about myself in my role as manager or as mother to Gen Z kids, and we want to encourage the younger generation to use artificial intelligence, but not to the point of cognitive offloading. So, tell us a little bit about that, about the dangers, perhaps about how we can ensure that we use it, but without slipping into becoming mentally sedentary? What exactly does it mean to be mentally sedentary?
Linda S. Pagani: I think this generation is spoiled. I am very, very young at heart, I use AI a lot. But at the same time, I understand that it's a tool. It's a tool. So, before using it, I plan how I'm going to use it, and I view it as a calculator. It helps with calculations, but at the same time, I can go further in my thinking, I can make an even better product by using all the tools I have.
So, if young people understand that all the applications they have are tools, they will not become addicted to them, and I think they will develop their intellectual abilities. But if we don't work on our own intelligence in planning, in evaluation, in writing, in all that, what will happen is that we will experience cognitive decline.
A study just came out last week in the United States, a population study. I know it's in the United States and not in Canada, but I can tell you that global trends are the same. We're seeing an intellectual decline. There has been quite a significant decline in intelligence among recent generations. I can tell you that we're less intelligent today than we were in 1930.
Mélanie Robert: That's really scary. It makes me think about the fact that it's easy to get used to ChatGPT which can do an incredible job summarizing a file, but if we run into the deputy minister in the elevator and are asked for a summary, we still have to be able to do it and to have practised summarizing as a skill, which is something ChatGPT does so well. Stacey, next question?
Stacey Rehel: Yes, thank you, Mélanie. I would like to go back to the VIA test, or the 24 strengths. I think that after this presentation, a number of us will go take this test to determine our strengths. So, we have a question in the chat: how can we ensure that the 24 strengths reflect different cultural contexts?
Linda S. Pagani: Okay, that test has been standardized, probably today it's about 12 million people, including about 3 million people in the military. Why people in the military? I'll tell you why. We need a standardized sample that includes traumatized individuals. So, it's an ideal world because it's made up of people who usually have different experiences and different levels of trauma. So, we have the general population which is across the world, and we have this group.
So, it's really interesting in the sense that the psychometric characteristics have been reworked a lot, and today, when you go to find out yours on the VIA Character Strengths Survey website, there's the VIA Institute on Character. It's free. If you look on the right, you can see that you can take the test for free on several sites. I encourage you to do so, and please understand that even if you were living in an Indigenous tribe in Australia, you'd still receive the same ranking if you answered the same way.
The interesting thing is that according to the standardizations they made—because in psychometrics, there is factor analysis and all that it does—they saw that there are approximately 5.3 million variations of all the different rankings. So, this is for people trying to figure out, "Who am I?" We're often told "Just be yourself!" Then, we go back to our desk and think, "Be myself? What does that even mean?" So, knowing what my VIA Character Strengths are is very important to me.
When I start to feel unsettled, I stop, I say, wait, hold on. Discernment, curiosity, creativity, appreciation for beauty and excellence, and kindness, I memorize them to use them, and you can do the same, and that's how you naturally are. They're like your superpowers.
Mélanie Robert: That's great. I can see exactly how—and we also talk about this in our leadership courses—how self-knowledge can help us as individuals to perform better. Now, I'm trying to take what you've told us, and then think about how we can use what you've talked about in a team context to promote better communication between people from different generations, and then try to find the positive in everyone. Do you have any advice on that?
Linda S. Pagani: Yes. I am often asked to work with teams that do not work well together. They could be firefighters on the same team that don't get along, they could be first responders. So, you need to understand that sometimes, people just need to get along. So, often what we do is get all those people together for a period of time. You can easily do this in your group, where you spend a few hours together, like a half-day or full day, where you start by each doing the five character strengths exercise. You each share your character strengths, and then have a discussion together about them. So, each person is given a short 5 to 15 minutes to describe their character strengths. Then, the others are able to take note of these things and their interpretations of their character strengths.
Because each of us, like for example, Mélanie, your first character strength is discernment like me, but your interpretation of discernment will be different from mine. You're going to tell people how you experience it, how you experience it in truly amazing moments and in difficult moments, and everyone can share that part. Another thing that people need to do in an environment like this is discuss personality profiles, to know, "I'm a mediator. I do that well. I do this well."
And it's interesting, because people spend half a day preparing for this, they will, for example, give a 5-to-15-minute presentation on their character strengths, or 5 to 15 minutes on their character strengths and personality profile, something like that, and the others will listen to their interpretation of themselves, to what "be yourself" means to each of them. And then, after everyone discussed this together, there is a period where, after each person explains who they are, the others can interact and ask questions. And after that, there's a team-wide discussion where we can discuss how we can work better together as a team.
And I'll tell you, I've worked with people who didn't talk to each other at all, okay? Who hated each other, okay? And it's interesting because we close the door and then we're all there together, and we explain that this is work, a sustainable well-being activity, but people don't realize how important it is for the long-term well-being of the team to have this conversation.
Mélanie Robert: It's interesting that it's a kind of a technological tool since we have to go online, but in the end, it promotes social well-being. I think that kind of the gist of what you're saying. Stacey, do you have another question?
Stacey Rehel: Yes, thank you. That reminds me, I have a colleague whose manager created profiles for everyone, and they all had to take a test, and the profile indicated how each person worked so they could interact with each other better, when would be the best time to contact this particular person, or at these times, this person may talk less because they want to focus. So, that aligns well with what you just told us, Dr. Pagani.
And that kind of leads into multi-generational issues and this concept of resilience. So, in your opinion, what factors contribute most to psychological resilience in a work environment that is not only modern and technology-driven, but also multi-generational?
Mélanie Robert: It's a bit stressful these days, even if you want to avoid using that term.
Linda S. Pagani: You mean it's demanding in a very unclear situation.
Mélanie Robert: There you go, thank you.
Linda S. Pagani: And you see how there's a difference?
Mélanie Robert: Yes.
Linda S. Pagani: You see how you increase your emotional intelligence and also social intelligence, because you decide amongst yourselves what that means, instead of simply saying stressed.
Mélanie Robert: Yes. It's unclear.
Linda S. Pagani: It's like if I spent my day swearing instead of saying what the problem is. It's better for me to say what the problem is than to spend the day swearing. So, when we talk about intergenerational differences, it's even more important to dedicate these half-days to figuring out what sustainable group well-being means. And often, for the first time, people sit down and then they say, well, like for example in my case, I tell people—I often say this because I want to fit right into a team—I explain who I am, and I explain that I'm a Gen Xer and that I raised Gen Z children, but that I'm like a 4.9 out of 5 in open-mindedness. So, you see how I can be more like Gen Z than Gen X.
So, when I explain this in a group, people are happy. I have many people, young people from Gen Z, who see me as being on their side, who come to me when they have a problem in the team, and I also try to make sure that the people who are next to me, who are the same age or other ages, see "okay, open-mindedness." That helps a lot in adjusting communication between different generations. That's it. It's not rocket science, as they say.
But at the same time, it's important to realize that there are all these little adjustments in social communication that are really interesting. For example, telling someone who is 80 years old that they are a Traditionalist, that they are a Builder. It's partly a complement, it's not saying "You're old!" And at the same time, it puts things into perspective, for Stacey, for example, to realize, okay, that's a Builder, that's someone who's traditional, I'm going to explain what it means to be a "Millennial", I'm going to explain what it's like to be Generation Y, what I've experienced, what I experience every day.
And it's interesting to see how it creates an optimal work experience, because everyone is smiling in that sense, because we are always processing challenges. Whether you work in government or in an emergency room, it's always the same thing: you have challenges ahead of you. We want to approach these challenges with an optimal experience.
Mélanie Robert: Thank you very much. That's all the time we have. It was very thorough. So, I feel I'll have to come back to this and listen to that program again. There was a lot of content. My main takeaway is basically not to let our brains atrophy, regardless of generation, to keep finding time to stay focused, to name our sources of stress, to call them by saying exactly what the problem is, to work on our strengths, and use them to communicate between generations, and like you, not to label ourselves. Ultimately, we can have traits that belong to another generation and that may help us to bridge the gap with that generation.
So, listen, on behalf of everyone in Canada who tuned in to us to listen to you, thank you very much, and I hope that everyone who participated enjoyed the event as much as we did. I'd just like to remind everyone that your comments are really important. So, I invite you to complete the electronic evaluation that you will receive in the next few hours.
A huge thank you to Dr. Pagani. We have other events coming up, so I also encourage you to visit our website. But again, a big thank you to Dr. Pagani. This came at just the right time when we're experiencing a bit of, as you mentioned, uncertainty or lack of clarity. We will use what you've given us to strengthen our resilience and communication among everyone. Thank you all very much.
Linda S. Pagani: Thank you, and I wish all teams a good day.
[00:57:19 The logo of the Canada School of Public Service appears on the screen.]
