Some standards are minimums that have to be followed. Some are guides to best practices. By focusing professional counsellors work and that of their supervisees on the relevant standards, they keep the quality of work at or above the professional standards and thereby serve clients well. Counsellors first task is to learn as much as possible about relevant standards, where they come from, and how they got there. Be aware of the laws that apply to counsellors situation and use relevant resources. Some laws, particularly counselor licensure laws, incorporate or reference ethical or even practice standards in their mandates. Some ethical rules incorporate professional guidelines-for example, the codes' sections on knowing one's boundaries of competence, acquiring new specialties, being multiculturally competent, and recognizing their own personal impairment. Administrative supervisors are responsible to their clients, to their agencies and to the profession to uphold and ensure their supervisees uphold current legal, ethical and professional standards.