Nothing is ever finished

So much about being a middle manager - one that your boss, co-workers, and customers assign a lot of value to - is more about mindset than your level of college degree, what big company you've worked for, etc. Mindsets help shape actions. Training yourself to think in new ways will help govern future problems you tackle.

That said, here is one such mindset I've found enormously helpful in my roles as a middle manager: keeping my focus on developing relationships, not just completing projects or tasks.

True, you do need to finish tasks and make sure deliverables are actually getting wrapped-up and in people's hands, but that's not the point here. Get those deliverables done, but don't look for the big finish line. This means that you're not looking for that point in a project, task, etc when you can finally wash your hands and move on to the next thing for the next person. Be thinking about how you're going to help your clients with the next project while you're still in the midst of the current task at hand. This will transform short-term projects into ongoing, long-term relationships.

People will notice the difference.