HaShem tells Avra(ha)m that He will make his name great (Bereshit 12:2), but in the generations before Avram to make one's own name great doesn't seem to be such a great thing (Bereshit 6:4 and 11:4).
What's the difference in making one's own name great v.s. HaShem making one's name great? P.s. how does one let HaShem make his name great, do we have a role in this (because it seems one can't make his own name great)?