
Lesson 5: Rein in Perfectionists | Jesse Eisenberg
Big Think, 5 min, NaN views, Oct 13, 2025
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It’s often said that perfect is the enemy of good, meaning that if you’re always trying to make each detail the best, your larger project might never reach the finish line. It’s a lesson leaders would be wise to heed when managing their teams, according to actor and director Jesse Eisenberg. But it comes with a caveat: If you’re working with a perfectionist and don’t have time for unending refinement, make sure they know they’re appreciated. In this video lesson, Eisenberg shares how to prioritize time management while still honoring the work of the experts who make your project sparkle. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Go Deeper with Big Think: ►Become a Big Think Member Get exclusive content, early, ad-free access to new releases, and more. https://www.youtube.com/@bigthink/membership/ ►Subscribe to Big Think on Substack Explore content that enlightens, inspires, and transforms. https://bigthinkmedia.substack.com/subscribe/ ►Get Big Think+ for Business Engage learners like never before with high-impact video microlearning from the biggest thinkers in the world. https://bigthink.com/plus/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=video&utm_campaign=youtube_description ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- About Jesse Eisenberg: Jesse Eisenberg is an Academy Award nominated actor and an acclaimed playwright and author. Eisenberg’s film credits include Roger Dodger, The Squid and the Whale, Adventureland, Zombieland, The Social Network, Now You See Me, The Double, Night Moves, The End of Tour, American Ultra, Louder Than Bombs, Batman v. Superman, Now You See Me 2, Café Society, Justice League, The Hummingbird Project, The Art of Self Defense, Zombieland: Double Tap, Resistance, Vivarium,Wild Indian, Manodrome, and Sasquatch Sunset which sees him play the urban legend Sasquatch. On the small screen, Eisenberg was recently seen playing the titular character of ‘Toby Fleishman’ in the FX limited series Fleishman Is in Trouble based on Taffy Brodesser-Akner’s best-selling novel of the same name. Eisenberg made his directorial debut with A24’s When You Finish Saving the World, which premiered at the 2022 Sundance Film Festival to glowing reviews and screened as a part of Critics Week at the 2022 Cannes Film Festival. The film is based on the Audible Original of the same name, both of which were written by Eisenberg. Eisenberg’s second directorial effort, A Real Pain, recently had its world premiere at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival. The film, which Eisenberg stars alongside Kieran Culkin, tells the story of two estranged cousins who travel to Poland after their grandmother dies to see where she came from and end up joining a Holocaust tour, won Eisenberg the Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award for his screenplay The film was bought at the festival by Searchlight Pictures for a release later in the year. Eisenberg has written four plays, including “The Spoils,” which had a box-office record-breaking run-on West End. He also wrote and starred alongside Vanessa Redgrave in his play “The Revisionist,” and “Asuncion.” His play, “Happy Talk” starring Susan Sarandon and Marin Ireland opened April 2019 at the Signature Theater in New York. Born in New York, Eisenberg is a frequent contributor to The New Yorker, the author of the collection, Bream Gives Me Hiccups from Grove Press and the Audible Original When You Finish Saving the World, which won “Best Original Work” at the 2021 Audie Awards.