[jamesbritt]

... and worthless when it actually comes to running a business.

They may or may not be worthless, but I don't see how Bob Parson can even know this.

How many times has he become a billionaire that he (or anyone) can extract just those behaviors that in fact make a difference from those that are mere coincidence.

How do these "rules" stack up when examined in the context of people who don't become billionaires, or even reasonably successful?

As an example, I bet there are at least a few people who did quite well by sticking to what they knew and what they felt comfortable with and who would have not succeeded had they stepped out of their comfort zone.

The book The Halo Effect covers this fairly well.

http://www.the-halo-effect.com/