Each faculty member's teaching path will be different. So, it is hard to provide general advice on how to succeed. I do think that every individual has the capability of becoming a successful teacher. And I hope the advice below, as well as the other information, helps you get started.

One Associate Dean’s Advice

I think the path to becoming a successful teacher starts with making these 4 principles part of your approach:

Take teaching and learning seriously
Take advantage of the resources available to help you
Commit time to regular professional development
Listen to colleagues and students. Try out their advice and see what works for you. Care about your students and their learning

Getting Started

During the first few years, I encourage faculty to do the following…

Complete the Schreyer Institute for Teaching Excellence New Instructor Orientation and their Course in College Teaching. If you’ve never taught a university course, I’d also recommend their Instructional Foundations series.Complete the World Campus Faculty Development Foundations for Online Teaching certificate program (4 courses) and consider completing 1 or more of their other certificates
Begin to read on the scholarship of teaching and learning (some recommended book reading here and some good excellent news/blogs like Teaching).
Regularly participate in 1 or more teaching workshops per semester and 1 or more teaching conferences per year
Draft a teaching and learning philosophy

And before or as you teach your first class, I encourage faculty to do the following:

Consult with current faculty, program leaders and department head
Observe a few good teachers in class and review/discuss their course materials
Meet with one of HHD's Instructional Designers
Review the material here on instructional policies at Penn State

Getting Better

A bad teaching experience is not catastrophic. Almost everyone has a few. And, if you are trying new approaches, some failures are bound to occur, just like with research. The biggest problem for faculty is not a bad experience or two. The biggest problem is failing to gather good feedback, then apply it in improving teaching.

So, that is the secret to becoming a successful teacher:

Engage with your students in a meaningful conversation about how you can improve your teaching
Engage with faculty colleagues and seek their feedback on your classroom teaching, course materials, assignments, etc.
Practice regular professional development through workshops, reading, courses, conferences, etc.
Reflect regularly on what is going well and what you could improve, keep a teaching journal or portfolio to remind you of what you are learning, and keep trying to apply the feedback and find the teaching and learning approaches that will express your values and help students connect with what you hope they will learn.

The rest of the modules here get in details on some of the challenges, some of the resources, and some ways to connect with students, among a few other topics. That's all important, too. But keep these basics in mind, and you'll never be far from the path to becoming a successful teacher.