The point of this post isn't to judge how he handled the situation. His handling of the situation is a framing device for advice about how to ask for job referrals. Comments like this muddy the waters; his advice is obviously correct.
I'm only expressing that there is validity to not narrowing your interests, fields or industries and that dismissing someone out of hand because they are 'unfocused' is just as bad and unhelpful as dismissing someone because they don't have a degree. (an entirely different conversation)
You are imagining every conceivable conversation you could have with someone in a position to help you network for a job, and searching for something that breaks the pattern of "being specific and actionable". Lo and behold, there are cases where "specific and actionable" doesn't fit! For instance, if you're asking for advice about what kinds of roles fit your skills and interests, maybe you don't want to lock the conversation down to a specific title.
But that has nothing to do with asking for referrals.
And no, his advice is not "obviously correct". It might work for some, but not all.