How to become a good advisor At some point in my career I would like to become an advisor (or at least have some people working for me). I would like to start learning the skills to be a good advisor before becoming an advisor. Having in mind that most skills will be similar to those needed by managers outside academia:

How can I acquire the skills needed to become a good advisor before becoming an advisor?

Here's what I've thought of so far:


Organize congress/symposium ... (Do it within student organizations)
Advise students 


Some background of my situations: I have recently completed a MSc in Bioinformatics (Europe) and I still haven't started a PhD, but I already have almost 2 years of experience in research in Bioinformatics and would like to keep working on this field.
Communication skills are very important, maybe more important than academic ones.

Stay human and be empathic. When you ask someone 'how are you' make sure you actually mean how the person is, not just the result. People need to be treated and seen as people, not as machines. Never ask judgemental questions, never say: 'I have told you so!', 'I have already shown/told that', 'why don't you know?'.
You must gain people's confidence and you can only earn it if you are open and non-judgmental.

Before becoming an advisor, it is important to improve your communication skills through activities that might be outside your curriculum: courses about public speaking are a must have, but theatre is a good and funny way for achieving this as well.

Moreover, it is important to discover if you really like being an advisor.
You could be a trainer for various small events, like a workshop.
Or you could teach school kids different topics, as a volunteer in an ONG. Even if it is not your topic, even if they are not students, you will have the experience of teaching.