I Never Had Control
In response to a question an analyst asked him one time about if he was concerned about losing control of the organization with his management style, Kelleher responded saying, "I told him I've never had control and I never wanted it."
What does having control really imply? That there are extreme limitations to what the business and its people can do. Control isn't only about the way most people hate working under those circumstances, control is detrimental to a business because it locks down creativity, spontaneity and innovation. There's nothing more discouraging than going through layers of bureaucracy and having your ideas 
and thoughts drowned.
When our people are in a living environment, which our businesses or departments should be, there is no way that someone can get or have control over what's happening without doing enormous damage to its chances at success.
Kelleher makes a good point when he says that he never wanted control. He understood that if he had control, it meant that his people didn't. With the culture of the company he encouraged, there never could be control without losing the culture. In a sense, if there isn't a release of control, there really can't be a culture that initiates passion and motivation in its people.
As a result he never wrested control from the people in his company. Rather, he trusted them and they paid him back beyond what he could have ever given.
Other Herb Kelleher Sources:
Herb Kelleher on the Record, Part 1
Belief Model for The Leadership of Herb Kelleher (Southwest Airlines)
Herb Kelleher, Chairman, CEO and President, Southwest Airlines
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