To become an effective leader, you should strive to become an expert in your field and aim to cultivate essential leadership qualities. Begin with these 10 examples of leadership traits.

1. Accountability

The best leaders take full responsibility for their team’s performance, whether the outcome is good or bad. As a leader, you should aim to praise your team when they perform well and provide constructive criticism to help them improve. It’s also important for you to take responsibility when you have made a bad decision or done something unfavorable. We are all human and prone to mistakes, but effective leaders recognize their areas of improvement and are open with their team about them. Make a point of serving as a role model, and your team is likely to demonstrate accountability, too.

2. Adaptability

Experienced leaders understand that plans, schedules and even goals can change at any time. To become a strong leader, you should aim for a flexible approach that allows you to pivot as necessary. As you develop adaptability, you may also find that you develop related leadership characteristics, such as resourcefulness and problem-solving abilities. To improve your sense of adaptability, practice accepting and overcoming unexpected challenges rather than resisting them.

3. Confidence

As a key figure in a department or company, every leader should demonstrate confidence to instill motivation. Even when obstacles impact progress, you should strive to exhibit poise and conviction. Leaders who have this quality also tend to build trust quickly with their team and colleagues. Build confidence by practicing your presentations, anticipating the questions you might receive and preparing effective, helpful answers.

4. Creativity

The best leaders rarely follow established pathways or copy the routes others have taken. Instead, they embrace new ways of thinking and strategies that others have yet to try. As a leader, you should aim to prioritize creativity so you can experiment with innovative solutions and alternative approaches to reach goals. To improve your creativity, try thinking of different resolutions for issues you encounter before moving forward with a plan.

5. Empathy

Company leaders like executives, managers and supervisors work at a higher level than other team members. In these positions, you should always try to empathize with the reality that your team experiences so you can work together more easily. To understand your team members better, try scheduling informal meetings to help you acknowledge the challenges they face and the goals they want to achieve.

6. Focus

Focus can help you handle possible distractions while achieving major objectives. When you give your attention to the most important aspects, you can complete your biggest goals while managing your time and resources. Try scheduling alternating periods of work without interruptions and less intensive work where you can pause to address other issues. This strategy can help you to concentrate your attention as necessary.

7. Positivity

Quality leaders use positivity to motivate their team to achieve goals, do their best work and exceed expectations. To be an effective leader, you should exhibit positivity during difficult situations such as overcoming obstacles or delivering constructive criticism. For example, you can focus on the benefits of completing a major project instead of highlighting the hard work your team will have to complete in the process.

8. Risk-taking

Leaders regularly encounter risks, but they must know when to embrace a challenge and when to take a safe approach. To become a master at navigating risk, start by learning how to assess situations and compare pros and cons. Strive to make decisive judgments so that your team can readily accept and act upon your decisions. Try creating a flowchart with steps so you can evaluate situations and make decisions confidently.

9. Stability

Although leaders are charged with driving significant change, they also need a strong sense of stability. Taking a steady, reliable approach can allow you to keep your project, team or company on track. Establishing regular routines and telling your team what to expect allows you and your staff members to maintain energy and focus, even as you strive for constant progress. For example, set a weekly meeting to update your team on upcoming changes.

10. Team-building

Even the strongest leaders need dedicated teams to complete projects. To be an effective leader, you must know how to encourage teamwork and collaboration, inspire team members to contribute their best work and motivate colleagues to accomplish seemingly impossible tasks. You can incorporate team-building activities such as icebreakers and group outings to promote bonding and improve communication.