Ideas

Stewart "Stu" Wangard is chairman, CEO and founder of Wangard, a Wauwatosa-based real estate investment, development and management firm. His firm is one of several that is building or planning to build urban housing in Milwaukee to meet the demands of young professionals. Here he explains what projects need to appeal to that demographic.

"True genius is the ability to hold two contradictory thoughts simultaneously without losing your mind."

– Charles Beaudelaire

Question:

"With nearly 30 years of professional experience behind me, I find myself at something of a crossroads. Originally credentialed as an engineer, I’ve secured a number of promotions over the years and now function more as a manager than as an individual contributor. Over the past five years, I’ve been challenged by upper management to do more with less. As a result, I find myself working longer and longer work weeks with no end in sight. I find myself enjoying my work less and less and wondering more and more about what lies ahead. I used to enjoy coming to work. Now, I feel an increasing sense of dread every Monday morning. Frankly, I feel stuck and don’t know how to get unstuck. I’d appreciate any insights you can offer for how I might get out of this predicament."