Moshe Rabbenu’s development as a leader requires a self perception of being worthy for that role. It calls for a mindset by which he feels no inferiority to any other national leader.

That Moshe is the moral superior of the likes of Pharaoh goes without saying. Moshe never doubted that, and it would be ridiculous to consider otherwise. But the world of politics, government, and diplomacy was foreign to Moshe, and it was in that world that his humility turned to self effacement. Even after he came to terms with his leadership of the Jewish people, realizing his place in our people's genealogy, he nevertheless insists in last week's portion "Behold I am incapable of speaking eloquently, how will Pharaoh receive my message?" (see Exodus 6:30). The hall of royalty and all the pompous speech that accompanies it remains foreign to Moshe. In forsaking the palace of Pharaoh for his isolation in Midyan, Moshe removes himself from that world of power struggle, rhetoric, and one-up-manship. He no longer shares a common language with the Egyptian sovereign. Pharaoh has no respect for Moshe's righteousness and religiosity, and Moshe has no interest reentering Pharaoh’s world of externality and control. Yes, Pharaoh was greater than he, in a class by himself when it came to "worldly affairs", and Moshe had no interest in competing with him.

But Moshe had to enter Pharaoh’s world in order to redeem the Jewish people from it. One can be a righteous and religious person as a slave, but one cannot be free. God insists for the Jewish people that they be not only tzadikim and chasidim, but bnei chorin, liberated, as well. This requires overcoming Pharaoh and Egypt on their terms, in the Machiavellian world of struggle. It requires insisting on national dignity, for our people as well as our leader.

Much of the interaction between Pharaoh and Moshe exercises and develops this quality in Moshe. It reaches its peak not so much in anything Moshe says to Pharaoh, but in the lack of tolerance Moshe finally
develops for Pharaoh’s condescension.

When Pharaoh rejects Moshe's insistence that cattle go with them to worship God in the desert, he commands "Get away from me! Beware, do not return to seek my face, for should you see my again will put you shall die!"

Moshe responds, "I will not try again to see your face," but these words are not the sum of Moshe's reaction. After Moshe finishes informing Pharaoh of the tenth plague, the Torah says "He left Pharaoh with
anger". Rashi explains, "Because Pharaoh dared to say to him 'do not see my face again.' "
Moshe finally took Pharaoh’s derision personally. He finally became intolerant of this scoundrel on a personal level.

Only when our leader feels impugned by Pharaoh’s stomping on his dignity are we ready to be redeemed.