If you asked yourself right now what each of your team members is genuinely good at — not just their job title, but their real strengths, their weaknesses, their capacity, and what actually motivates them to do great work — could you answer confidently for every single person? 

For most business owners, the honest answer is "not fully." And that's exactly the gap that a simple but often-overlooked tool can close: the people profile. 

What is a people profile? 

Think of it as a player card for every person in your business — the kind you'd see on the back of an old baseball or footy card. Instead of batting averages, you're capturing the things that actually matter for running your team well: 

• Role, salary, and productivity data 
• Strengths and weaknesses 
• Capacity — hours, leave, full-time vs casual 
• What motivates them and where they thrive 
• Experience and development needs 

It sounds simple. Done properly, it's one of the most valuable exercises you can run in your business. 

Why it matters more than it looks 

You can't build a strong team, plan for growth, or delegate with confidence if the information about your people only exists in your head — and changes depending on how your week is going. 

When you have accurate, up-to-date profiles for every team member, you're able to: 

• Build an accurate team structure and organisation chart 
• Put the right people in the right roles and projects 
• Plan future hires based on real capacity and skills — not gut feel 
• Track experience and development needs for each person 
• Make confident decisions about delegation, workload, and succession 

This turns "I think Sarah's pretty good with clients" into a real, structured picture you can plan around. 

Go deeper than the job description 

The natural temptation is to only capture what's visible on the surface — the current role, the obvious skills. But that's just the tip of the iceberg. 

The real value comes from understanding the character, not just the CV: What have they overcome? Are they resourceful? Persistent? Creative under pressure? How do they respond when things don't go to plan? 

When you understand what genuinely motivates someone, you can start giving them work they'll enjoy and excel at — and productivity naturally follows. People who are playing to their strengths, in roles that suit them, do better work and stick around longer. 

A word of caution 

It's easy for this exercise to slide into "here's everything that's wrong with my team right now" — especially if you've got a few fires burning. Resist that. The goal isn't to solve today's frustrations; it's to build a genuine, rounded understanding of each person so you can make better decisions from here. 

And if you're rolling this out with your team, don't spring it on them by email. Sit down with each key person one-on-one and explain what you're trying to achieve — a better business, more meaningful and purposeful work for them. Approach it that way, and very few people will push back. 

Where to start 

Start with yourself. Complete your own profile first. Work through each team member's strengths, weaknesses, and capacity as honestly as you can. Consider what data points are most useful: salary, productivity, leave, hours. If you're unsure how to assess productivity, that's a great conversation to have with your accountant or advisor. 

Where you can, sit down with each person directly and talk through it together. The richer the profile, the better the decisions it supports. It's not a box-ticking exercise. It's the foundation for building a stronger, more scalable team — and a business that runs on real information rather than assumptions. 

Want help thinking through team structure or capacity? Let's chat. We're always happy to help you build a business that works for you. 

Need Help with your Business, Bookkeeping, Tax or SMSF requirements?

If you would like a little help, please get in touch with us for assistance. We can help with your business, bookkeeping, tax and SMSF requirements. To book an appointment, use our online booking system, give us a call on 07 3289 1700, or email us at reception@rgaaccounting.com.au.We look forward to assisting you this tax season!

Attracting and retaining the right people is essential for maintaining capacity and profitability. Complete this four-minute, 25-question diagnostic to identify your top strengths and improvement opportunities here —and see how your business compares with the global benchmark.

Please also note that many of the comments in this publication are general in nature and anyone intending to apply the information to practical circumstances should seek professional advice to independently verify their interpretation and the information’s applicability to their particular circumstances. Should you have any further questions, please get in touch with us for assistance with your SMSF, business, bookkeeping and tax requirements. All rights reserved. Brought to you by RGA Business and Tax Accountants. Liability Limited by a scheme approved under Professional Standards Legislation.