While Covey hopes his arguments so far have been persuasive, he acknowledges that readers may struggle to accept the basic premise: that it is worthwhile trusting others. However, Covey believes that even those who have learned to distrust others can learn the principles of “smart trust,” as well as how to rebuild broken trust. Covey notes that extending trust to others is a particularly effective way of cultivating high-trust environments, so while he has already touched on this behavior in Part 3, he now plans to discuss it more extensively. Extending trust is one way of inspiring it in others, which Covey identifies as the primary responsibility of any leader.

Covey grapples with the concept of smart trust, the equilibrium between trust and analytical judgment that ensures successful relationships. He illustrates this delicate balance by recounting a business relationship that broke due to shattered trust and how, through forgiveness, the personal relationship was rebuilt. The professional relationship, however, wasn’t reestablished. This embodies “smart trust”—leveraging past experiences to wisely manage future risks.

Covey introduces a smart trust matrix with four distinct zones: blind trust, smart trust, no trust, and distrust. The smart trust zone—high propensity to trust coupled with robust analysis—emerges as the most advantageous, fostering wise judgment.